


Red

by Ren (ren_of_picardy), ren_of_picardy



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bloodbending (Avatar), Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Eventual Romance, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Illustrations, Non Benders (Avatar), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Red - Freeform, Revolution, Romance, Slow Burn, Team as Family, Waterbending & Waterbenders, amon deserved better, it'll be fun they said, its the only burn i like, kind of?, lead a revolution they said, oh my god how do you tag, so much slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ren_of_picardy/pseuds/Ren, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ren_of_picardy/pseuds/ren_of_picardy
Summary: Noatak has no idea what he is doing or where he is going. What he does know is this:His father is abusive and manipulative. If he and his brother had not been benders, maybe they could have been children.--Sen is young and sad. Her father is gone and won’t be back for several months, and she knows this is a good thing, but she is lonely. She has been most of her life.--What starts as a friendship, grows into something the Four Nations have never seen. A story of found family, redemption, and love.
Relationships: Amon | Noatak/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 33
Kudos: 32





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first thing I've ever posted. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated.
> 
> I will definitely be adding tags and characters as I go because its really hard to think of everything at once. This is sort of a mix of practice and passion for me. I'm challenging myself to try and make an illustration for every chapter. Soo, I don't know how long that'll last. I'm also gonna try and update every 10(ish) days. Once again, not sure how long that's gonna last.
> 
> There's a little bit of timeline fudging to accommodate some age changes. Sorry if some people are bothered by that, but no events really change because of it.
> 
> Even if you just stay for the prologue, thanks for giving this a go.
> 
> (comments are nice, but like, ya know, whatever)

_AG 159_

Noatak has no idea what he is doing or where he is going. What he does know is this:

His father is abusive and manipulative. He and his brother haven’t had a childhood since the moment they learned they were benders. They have been nothing but a means to an end for their father. Noatak has let it go too far for too long. He has used blood bending on his little brother in an attempt to placate their father, and still it is not enough. So when Yakone goes to strike Tarrlok, he responds.

He uses his blood bending on their father, and it feels good, because his father is weaker than him, and _he deserves it._

He is only 14, and he is still afraid, even if he will never say it, never acknowledge it. He asks Tarrlok to go with him, and all Tarrlok can think of is their mother. Their mother who should have known, should have at least noticed her sons’ change in demeanor. _Maybe she knew already,_ but even as he thinks it he knows it’s not true. He is hurt and a little betrayed because this is his little brother who he has just saved from their father, and does his brother have no loyalty?

He leaves without him, and runs off in the middle of a snow-storm with no supplies.

He’s still not sure what he is going to do. It is cold and he has no idea where he is and all he can think is _just keep going,_ because his father could be behind him, and yes he can take his father. His father is the weak one. He has nothing to fear and he repeats this because he needs to learn it fast and make it stick.

He stops to catch his breath, and he thinks that maybe he should bend. Use it to make a shelter in the storm or ward off frostbite, but when he thinks of it, all he can do is think of it with anger, and maybe a little fear. If he and his brother had not been benders, maybe they could have been children.

He keeps going.

——

He has been walking for too long. He had finally stopped the night before, stuffed himself in a crack in the ice, just to get away from the blistering cold and howling wind. When he woke that morning, the storm had still been going, even though it had lessened.

He is going into his second night and he is tired, and cold, and hungry. His face hurts so much he is sure it is wind-burned. His hands are gloveless and he is trying to ignore the fact that they’re turning pale and warm and he knows what he’s getting.

He still can’t bring himself to bend.

It is then that he makes his mistake. He is too tired to see straight, he most definitely does not see the drop in the ice, the seeming cliff out of nowhere.

He walks right off the edge.

There is a split second, when he is falling, that he thinks this might be a good thing. A moment where he is almost relieved, but then he is mad at himself because that would just be letting his father win.

The snow at the bottom of the cliff is soft enough to catch him and hard enough to hurt him.

For just a moment he thinks he sees a red moon.

 _Ironic_ , is all he can think.

He blacks out.


	2. Sen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first official chapter. Enjoy! Constructive criticism is appreciated!
> 
> Oh, and a quick request: Can someone tell me if the chapter images are showing on your screens? I'm having some trouble on my end, and I'm kinda' nervous.

Sen is 13 and sad. Her father is gone, had left two months ago, and won’t be back for four more, and she knows this is a good thing (because it hurts when he’s here, _he_ hurts when he’s here) but she is lonely. She has been most of her life.

But, _oh well_. This is what she tells herself: there is chores to be done and food to be found, she has no time to be sad, so she gets up and forces it down.

She makes up her bedroll and sweeps the floor and takes stock of how much food she has, and yes she’ll have to go out today to hunt or she won’t have enough to last the four months, let alone the next few weeks.

She doesn’t like hunting. It reminds her of her mother, who went hunting one day and never came back. Sometimes she wonders if it is her fault. If she drove her mother away with her lack ofbending, but then she remembers her mother, and what she was like, and realizes that is just her father’s disappointment slipping through and jading her view.

She dresses in her warm furs, slips on her boots and gloves, and grabs her khukri. There is a hole in the ice, not far from her home, where she knows she can find some tiger-seals. She exits the hut and walks into the snow. She is headed for the cliff wall, which she’ll then follow out nearer to the shore. That’s where she’s hoping to find them.

It had been storming for the past three days, but when she had woken that morning it seemed like it had died off. The ground was covered in deep drifts of snow, and it made her trek much harder. She was still pretty short, and it took a lot more effort to lift her legs that high.

The cliff wall was about a mile out from her home, and it took her a little longer to get there than normal. When she finally reached it, the sun was nearing its peak in the sky, and she was beginning to worry she would have to spend the night out on the open tundra.

Sen placed her hand on the wall and began walking in the direction of the shore. This is how her mother had taught her to do it when she was small. It was her way of making sure she always knew which way she was going and where she was.

She remembered a time when she had been younger, probably seven, and she had begged to go out with her mother. Her mother had said no, and Sen had followed after her anyway. She had been much smaller and slower than her mother, so by the time she had reached the wall, her mother had faded into the distance. In a panic, Sen had run away from the wall and towards where she had last seen her mother. She hadn’t been able to find the wall after that, and it was only by some stroke of luck that she had stumbled right back to her home. Her mother had been furious.

She left not long after that.

——

Sen figures she has reached the half-way point of the wall when her foot comes down hard on something and she trips.

Tripping for Sen is not unusual. In fact, she has the tendency to trip on anything and everything. What was unusual was this:

The thing she tripped on, _it had groaned._

Sen screamed and scrambled backwards as the snow shifted and moved to reveal a boot and part of a leg.

It didn’t take her long to spring in to action. There was someone underneath the snow, they had probably fallen from the top of the cliff, and they were most assuredly hurt.

She dug her fingers into the snow around the leg, digging around and under and frantic, so frantic. She was terrified. This was another human being, and their survival now lay in her hands. She dug faster.

She moved herself forward and began digging up from the legs. When she finally reached the parka underneath the snow, she grabbed it with both hands and began to pull with all the strength her body contained.

The body groaned again.

Sen pulled harder.

Slowly the snow that had packed around the body began to give, and then suddenly she was on her back with a boy her age blacked out on top of her.

——

When Sen was finally able to get out from under the boy’s prone body, she began to assess the situation.

The boy was her age, and he was dressed in water tribe clothing. Good. That was good. She didn’t know what to do with a foreigner.

She pressed her fingers to the pulse point in his neck and heaved a sigh of relief. He wasn’t dead. That was even better.

Upon further assessment, Sen noticed the state of his hands. _Oh._ That was bad. Frostbite had already begun to set in and she had to get him home and warm soon or she was going to have to learn how to cut off fingers.

That was another problem. She wasn’t quite sure how she was going to get him home. He was bigger than her, and heavier than her, and _oh spirits_ , she was starting to panic.

She wondered if she could drag him somehow.

_Oh._

Sen slipped off her thick parka and laid it on the ground next to the boy. She felt the cold immediately and did her best to ignore it.

Turning to the boy, she slipped around to his other side and knelt in the snow beside him. Taking her hands, she shoved them underneath the boy and began to roll him over until he landed on her parka. Standing up, Sen checked her work. It would do.

Returning to her parka, she grabbed the sleeves in her hands and began to pull. It was hard and difficult and her arms were straining under the weight of the boy, but it was working.

She turned back the way she had come and followed the wall.

——

Sen almost cried when she saw her hut in the distance. Dragging the boy behind her had made the journey much longer than the one out, and now the sun was starting towards the horizon. She was determined to get the boy in the hut and by the fire before dark.

When she finally reached the door of her hut, Sen really did let go a few tears, if only from the strain the trip had put on her arms and shoulders. Pulling the boy inside the doorway, she deposited him in a heap in front of the fire.

The fire that was coals now. Great. Just great.

Annoyed now, Sen ran outside to the wood pile and loaded her arms up before running inside and depositing her load in the hearth. Scrambling to the cupboard beside it, she pulled out the spark rocks and got the fire started. Hopefully it was a roaring blaze soon.

Moving on to her next task, Sen moved her bedroll in front of the fire and then rolled the boy onto it. Once he was situated, she grabbed a pot and filled it with water, placing it on a hook above the fire. She needed warm water soon, or he was going to lose his fingers.

Once the water was suitably warmed, she poured some into two bowls. Taking the boy’s hands, she placed one in each bowl. This would thaw the boy’s hands and save them from frostbite, but he would need bandages when he woke. She was worried about the rest of him though. He had fallen a ways, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if something was cracked, maybe even broken. The problem was this: she couldn’t really tell if anything was broken. Sure, she could probably treat those kinds of injuries, but identifying them with an unconscious patient? That was out of her skillset.

She just hoped he was alright. If there were more pressing injuries? The boy would have to tell her himself.

——

When Noatak woke, he was warm. That was different, because he knew he had just been out in a snowstorm and freezing, all with frostbite starting to set in. Warm was not what he expected.

He most definitely did not expect the smiling face peering at him when he opened his eyes.

“You’re awake! That’s wonderful! I was beginning to worry.”

It was a girl, he figured about his age.

“What’s your name?”

She was looking at him expectantly, and he was so startled by his current change of fortune, he answered.

“Noatak.”

Immediately after, he realized he probably should have given her a fake name. That was something he was going to have to figure out. He couldn’t have his father finding him.

“Mine’s Sen. So you know.”

The girl, Sen, was still staring at him. When she seemed to realize he wasn’t going to keep talking, she turned to his hands. _Ah._ She had put his hands in bowls of water to defrost them.

“I’ll need to bandage these. They’ve warmed up again, but you’ll have blisters in the next couple of days, and you’ll have to be really careful not to refreeze them.”

She turned to the floor beside her and he noticed the waiting pile of bandages.

“Do you mind?”

He held out his hands, and Sen began to dry and wrap them. “Does anything else hurt? I couldn’t really tell if you had broken anything.”

Noatak took stock of how he was feeling. He was sore, that was for sure. He was probably covered in bruises and mottled skin too, but he couldn’t feel any major injuries or pains. He shook his head.

“Oh, thank the spirits.” The girl let loose a sigh of relief and Noatak watched as she continued to wrap his hands. “Do you mind me asking what you were doing out there? I know it’s not really my business, but I found you at the bottom of the cliff-wall, and I just figured…”

“I was running.”

“Oh…what from?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, alright.”

She turned back to his hands to tie off the wraps. When she was finished she stood up and walked to the edge of the hut, returning with a few strips of seal jerky.

“Sorry. This is all I’ve really got right now. I was out hunting when I found you. Didn’t get anything after that.”

Noatak took the offered food and scarfed it down. He was starving and he wanted to ask for more, but if this girl was being honest, and she really didn’t have that much food to give, well, he already felt a little bad for taking what he had.

After finishing his food, he sat back and looked around. He was still in the Northern Water Tribe. That was evident by the girl’s home and dress. He wondered if the girl lived on her own. She looked kind of young for that, but he didn’t see any adults around. Maybe that was better. Adults asked too many questions.

——

Sen had a lot of questions. So many questions. She knew his name now, Noatak, and that he had been running, but after that he had clammed up, and she hadn’t gotten much out of him. She wondered if he had been running from people, or beasts.

Right now though, her biggest issue was getting some food. Now that she was also going to be feeding Noatak, she was going to have to go out tomorrow. The least she could do was get some fish and seaweed until she could go out for some seal.

“I’ll have to go out in the morning for some fish. Maybe some seaweed if I can find it. I’m running low on a lot of stuff right now.”

“Can’t your parents bring you back food?”

“My father won’t be back for another four months.”

“Hm.”

Well. He wasn’t talking again. _Fine._ Sen stood from her spot and crossed to the storage cupboards.She pulled loose some extra bedding and a bedroll, and set it up near the fire, across from Noatak, before sitting down again.

“I’m not sure how long it will take for your hands to get completely better, but I figure you can stay as long as you need.”

Noatak looked at her for the first time in a while. “Thank you.” He looked like he actually meant it.

Sen smiled. “Of course.”

They sat in silence, Noatak staring at his hands, and Sen casting glances between him and the fire. She couldn’t help but think that this might be the end of her loneliness. At least for a little while. Noatak could stay with her while he recovered and she would have a friend and then she would help him leave before her father returned, and then she’d still be here. Left by herself for six months at a time. For the first time in years, she thought that was a little wrong.

She turned her back to him and began to pull back the blankets on the extra bedroll.

“What are you doing?”

Sen turned to the boy and offered a small smile. “I’m going to bed. I need to be up early so I can get a head start on fishing.” She pulled the covers up to her chin. “Goodnight Noatak.”

He didn’t respond, and Sen fell asleep feeling lonelier then she had in a while.


	3. Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I think I've fixed the images not showing thing. We'll see. Constructive criticism is appreciated!

When Noatak woke up the next morning, the girl was already gone. Her bedroll had been removed, and a pile of logs had been set on the hearth, he assumed so that he could build up the fire again without having to venture outside.

Noatak figured he should get up, but when he put weight on his hands in an attempt to lift himself from the floor, pain shot up his arms. Sucking in a sharp breath, he pulled his hands protectively into his chest. Evidently blisters had already begun to form. He couldn’t even flex his hand without pain. This was wonderful.

His hands were still bandaged from the previous night and they needed to be changed again soon. He wondered where Sen kept the bandages, and if she had any left. Standing, careful not to use his hands, he began surveying his surroundings.

The hearth was along the far side, across from the door. On the right of the hearth was a small kitchen area consisting of a small icebox and several shelves and cupboards. He wandered over and opened a few. The girl was right. She really was lacking in food.

Turning back towards the hearth, he noticed a small alcove to its left. A curtain was draped partway across the entrance, and he couldn’t see what was behind it. He was curious now, and fully aware that he was snooping. It didn’t bother him much. He walked across the room and pulled back the curtain. Inside the alcove was a set of cupboards and a tiny desk. He was still looking for bandages so he opened the cupboards first. The fist few he opened contained hunting gear, and old clothes. He finally found what he was looking for in the cupboard next to the desk. A small first aid kit was sitting to the side. It was fully stocked, with enough bandages inside to re-wrap his hands.

Grabbing the kit he turned to the desk. He was still curious, and Sen wouldn’t be back for a while. The desk was bare, save for the framed photo sitting on the corner. Noatak looked at it closer. It was a family portrait, in a very traditional and outdated style. The man and woman in the photo were wearing formal water tribe dress, and looking closer, he could see the woman was cradling a baby in her arms. She had a small smile on her face. The man behind her was a blank slate.

It was the man his eyes settled on. More specifically his hands. One rested on the woman’s shoulder. The other held a ball of water aloft.

_The man was a bender._

This portrait was in an incredibly old style then. The kind that used to be painted and had fallen out of practice by the time photos had become the norm. This particular tradition had never been adopted by the air nomads, but the other three nations had partaken in it for years. In decades past, it had been an honor to be a bender. Families had wanted it immortalized. Portraits had been done with the benders using their element. 

It was just another way bending had been driven onto a pedestal.

Noatak stared hard at the photo. He wondered if this was Sen’s family, and if she was a bender. He wasn’t sure he wanted to stay if she was.

——

Sen was quite pleased with herself. When she had woken that morning, Noatak had still been asleep. She hadn’t wanted to wake him, so she had prepared for the day instead. Going outside to get more wood, building up the fire, putting away her bedroll, and collecting her fishing supplies was the most of it. She was hoping that dinner tonight would be fresh fish. She was running out of jerky.

She had a love-hate relationship with fishing. She liked it more than actively hunting, but it took so long. Just hours upon hours of sitting, waiting for something to bite. It took a lot more patience than she liked to expend.

It was nearing late afternoon when she finally felt like she had caught a suitable amount of fish. Packing up her rod, bait, and fresh fish, she started heading towards home. She thought again of Noatak. He had probably woken some hours ago, and she wondered what he was doing. Her home was mostly bare of entertainment. Her father had no respect for those that did not work. That meant an elimination of distractions.

In all honesty, it had not been quite so bad when her mother was still around. They had spent their days doing work, but the evenings they had spent telling stories. Her mother was wonderful at it, and Sen liked to think she was pretty good at it too. One of her mother’s favorite stories was about an air bending master that survived the genocide. Sen hadn’t been as interested in that one because unlike the master in the story, she couldn’t bend.

That had always been one of her faults.

——

Noatak was struggling with the bandages. He hadn’t really thought through the fact that he needed _hands_ to _wrap his hands._ He was sat at the desk, first aid kit open beside him and bandages everywhere when he heard the door groan open. He refused to turn around, and instead glared down furiously at the table top. He glanced again at the framed photo.

He could hear the girl moving around behind him, putting things away, throwing new logs on the fire. She was moving about for some time, and it wasn’t until he smelled cooking fish, that he realized he was hungry. He still hadn’t turned around.

When a shadow finally fell upon the desk, he shifted to face her. She was very easy to read. She displayed all her emotions on her face for all the world to see, and she looked concerned.

“I’m glad you found the bandages. Sorry I forgot to leave them out for you.” She gestured to his hands. “Do you want me to help?”

Noatak was tempted to say no, just to be difficult, but he wasn’t stupid, and he knew he needed someone to help with his hands. “Fine.” The girl gave a grin and immediately took to the job. She took some rubbing alcohol and wiped down his hands, careful around the blisters, and then rewrapped them in fresh bandages. She also gave him a single pain pill from a small bottle. By the time she was done, and had put away the kit, the fish were cooked through.

Pulling them from the fire, she brought them over to the kitchen area where she plated two of them up. Noatak sat down by the fire and the girl brought him a plate.She sat next to him.

He wanted to ask about the portrait. He was almost sure it was her family, that her father was a water bender, that she could be a water bender too. He wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject, other that saying it outright, but he wasn’t that tactless. He figured subtle questions leading up to it would suffice.

“The portrait, on the desk. Is that your family?”

Like earlier, the girl was easy to read. She had stilled and stopped eating. “Yes.”

“It’s in a very old style.”

“My father thinks tradition is very important.” She was clammed up and talking to him in an almost terse manner. He wasn’t deterred.

“He was a bender then.”

“Yes.”

“Are you?”

This was when he really noticed the tension. She had gone an almost gray color, her food set aside, her hands fisted in her lap.

“No.”

She stood abruptly, and taking her half-eaten fish, she deposited it in the kitchen sink before turning towards the alcove. Noatak watched as she disappeared behind the curtain. He had overstepped himself, apparently. She wasn’t a bender and that was a sore spot for her. Selfishly, it made him feel a little better.

——

Sen let the curtain fall closed behind her. The alcove grew dark without the light of the fire, and she reached from the small oil lamp her father kept in the room. She opened the single desk drawer and rummaged around for the little pack of matches. Once she located them, she pulled one free and it took three matches before her shaking hands could light the lamp.

Her father would have been disappointed with the waste.

Setting the light source on the corner of the desk, she pulled out the chair and sat down. She glanced at the photo on the desk. It was the only photo her father kept of her mother. Her mother was smiling in the photo, but she liked her mother’s everyday smile better. There was something about her smile in this photo that had always made Sen sad.

She glanced at her father. Even before he learned she wasn’t a bender, he still looked disappointed. It hadn’t bothered her when she was younger. Her father was gone so often and for so long, that it hadn’t really affected her. Besides, she had her mother.

That had changed when she left.

There was no buffer between her and her father now.

Sen sat up straight and admonished herself. She was acting like a child. Noatak had only asked a question. She shouldn’t have taken it so personally.

She stood up and pushed the chair in. Taking one last look at the family portrait, she extinguished the lamp and pulled back the curtain. She peered out at Noatak, who was reclined by the fire, empty plate beside him.

She strode towards him quickly and stooped down to pick up the plate. His hand stopped her.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place.”

Sen’s face turned into a small smile. “It’s alright.”

His head gave a brief nod, and Sen picked up the plate. She walked over to the sink and pulled out a sponge and some soap. She heard some rustling behind her. Suddenly, Noatak was standing next to her at the sink, reaching for one of the two plates.

“What are you doing?”

“Helping with the dishes.”

“But there’s only two. I can do it.”

“But if we each do one, then it’s equal.”

Sen stared at the boy. Technically, his logic was sound, but didn’t it just make more sense for her to do it and get it over with? Noatak just looked at her, and she figured his mind was made up. “I guess.” She pulled out another sponge and handed it to the boy.

Side by side, they each washed their plate and set it on the counter to dry. When they had finished, Sen returned to the fire, adding more logs to keep it going. She grabbed her bed roll and laid it out before sitting down again. Noatak joined her not long after. Sen was afraid that it was already shaping up to be like the night before, when the boy spoke up.

“I asked you a question. You answered. It’s your turn.”

“What?”

“You can ask a question and I’ll answer. Then it’s fair.”

This boy really wanted things to be equal. It was something Sen wasn’t used to. She tried to think of a question. “Well, you asked me, so I guess… Are you a bender?”

“I don’t want to be.”

_Oh._ She hadn’t thought he would respond like that. In all honesty, she had assumed he couldn't bend. She had never seen him use any of the elements, and weren't water benders supposed to be able to ward off frost bite? Shouldn't he be proud? Using his abilities at every turn, for every task?

Apparently, he didn’t think so.

She wondered what her life would have been like as a bender. Would she have lived closer to the capital? Would she have learned with other children her age, or would her father have stopped sailing to teach her? Maybe she and her parents would have been happier.

Sen turned to the boy. He was quiet, now that he had answered her question. She felt a little bad, and the silence was beginning to weigh on her again. “Would you like to hear a story?” The boy turned his head to look at her, but she couldn’t read his face. “There’s not much else to do, and I’m pretty good at it.”

The silence stretched for a beat or two longer. “Sure.”

Sen immediately perked up. _Wonderful!_ This was something she liked, something she could do. She smiled widely at Noatak, and began her story.

“Once, when we still shared the world with the spirits…”


	4. Fathers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup! How's everyone doing? This one has a lot of scene breaks, but it was necessary for what I was doing. I think I've worked it out, and there should only be two more chapters in this arc!

Sen was cleaning the hearth that afternoon, when she heard a grunt behind her. She turned her head and peered over her shoulder.There was Noatak, trying to shut the door with his foot, while he held a load of wood in his arms, and, mind you, his still bandaged hands.

In the week or two after Sen had told her story, they had fallen into a sort of, quiet camaraderie. Their conversations were still a bit stilted. Noatak shared very little and Sen shared too much, but they made it work.

Sen leapt to her feet and scrambled towards the boy, immediately taking half the load from his arms.

“What are you doing? Your hands are still healing. That new skin is really delicate right now.” She dropped her half of the load next to the hearth and Noatak did the same.

“I was helping.” If she wasn’t so worried, she would have snickered at the miffed look on his face.

——

Sen dropped two fish onto the cutting board in front of her and pulled out the fillet knife. She figured she could make some seaweed stew. If she prepped it this morning, she could have it sit on the fire all day while she went about her chores. Rustling near the hearth had Sen looking up.

There was Noatak, awake and rolling up the bedrolls so they could be stored away. _Oh, well_. That was fine and easy. His bandages had been removed a week ago anyway. Sen focused again on the fish, and ignored the noises in the hut. The lack of silence made her happy.

She dropped the fish in the pot, and began to prepare a broth. Noatak made some grumbling noises, and Sen looked up just as he slipped behind the curtain to the alcove. She watched, curious now, as the curtain moved and rustled, and more grumbling was made.

“Noatak?”

The rustling stopped. “Yeah?”

“Do you need help?” Sen stepped away from the counter and towards the curtain.

“No, just— where’s your broom?” His head poked out from behind the curtain and she grinned at the frustrated expression on his face.

“First cupboard, on your left, in the back.”

“Thanks.” He disappeared behind the curtain and came back out with the broom.

Sen returned to the counter and her halfway-prepared broth. “Can I ask what you’re doing?”

“You’re making breakfast. I’m cleaning up.”

Sen let loose a big smile. “Oh. Thank you.”

——

Someone was shaking Sen awake. Startled, she jerked up and it was only luck that kept her from smashing heads with Noatak.

“Whoa, easy.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I just wanted to tell you I’m going out hunting.” It was then she noticed his attire. He was dressed in his warm furs, and had apparently gone digging through the cupboards. He had managed to find some of her father’s hunting gear, and was wearing some of his old clothes.

“Do you want me to come with?”

“No. It’ll be easier on my own. I was just hoping you could cut some more logs for the wood pile. It’s looking pretty low.”

In the back of her mind, a little voice told Sen that it was kind of rude to tell your host what to do. _“_ Yeah, sure. That’s fine.”

“Great. I should be back by nightfall.”

“Yeah.”

——

Sen hefted the hatchet above her head and brought it down on the log in front of her. Honestly, it wasn’t that big of a deal that Noatak had basically ordered her to do it. She liked the rhythmic and repetitive motion. It gave her time to think.

She was coming to the conclusion that Noatak had some weird complex. Over the, what, almost two months he had been with her, she had noticed a pattern. Starting with the night they did dishes together, Noatak made sure he was always doing the same amount of work as Sen. Even when his hands had still been healing, he was doing his half of the dishes. If Sen made breakfast, Noatak tried to make dinner. If she cleaned and swept the hut, he went outside to chop wood and straighten the pile. It was like everything had to be the same for everyone. It wasn’t bad, necessarily, but it was a little weird for Sen, who had always done everything by herself, even when her father was home.

Sen brought the hatchet up, and gravity brought it down.

——

Noatak trudged along the cliff-wall, a sled making trails in the snow behind him. Strapped to the top of the sled was a small turtle-seal. It would feed them for a few weeks, if they prepared the meat right.

Noatak thought about Sen as he walked. She was an interesting girl. She was very open, and apparently trusting. She had brought him into her home as a stranger, albeit an injured one, but a stranger nonetheless. He would not have done the same. He wondered if that made him a bad person.

Throughout all their conversations, he had learned much about her mother. She had adored her, and her mother had taught her everything. That same mother had left her here on her own. That was Noatak’s personal opinion, and the one time he had even hinted at it, Sen had glared at him so fiercely, he decided that opinion would be kept private from then on. Her father, on the other hand, he knew virtually nothing about. All he knew was this: the man was a bender, he disapproved of the fact that Sen was not, and if he was anything like Noatak’s father, he had probably taken that disapproval out on her.

He hadn’t even attempted to broach that topic. It would only end badly for both of them.

——

Sen leaned the broom against the wall and looked out over the room. This was the second time she had swept the hut. She had also cleaned out the hearth, re-accessed and sorted the food supply, chopped all the logs outside, and stacked the wood. It was only three in the afternoon.

She was starting to go a little crazy.

Usually, she spent a day cleaning, and then went hunting. When she returned from hunting trips, she took a day to relax, and then repeated the cycle. With two people in her home, doing the work of one person, she was left with a lot of free time. She had enjoyed it at first. It had allowed her time to write down new stories.

Now, she was starting to get a little unnerved. She didn’t know what she was supposed to be doing in all her free time. She had never really had it.

Sen turned and crossed to the hearth. She pulled some logs from the small pile beside it, and grabbed the spark-rocks. Noatak was going to need a fire when he came back. Clicking the rocks together, and letting the sparks catch the tinder, Sen sat back. Now that she had stopped moving, she realized how tired she was. It wasn’t too late in the afternoon, and Noatak wouldn’t be back for a few hours yet.

Sen laid down, sleep took over, and the wind outside began to howl.

——

Noatak heaved a sigh of relief when the hut came in to view. His way back had been relatively easy until the wind had begun to pick up. He was just glad that he was going to be back before it had a chance to turn into a storm.

Depositing the sled by the wood pile, he lifted the small seal onto his back. The wind gave a viscous gust just as he was opening the door of the hut, causing it to slam open with a loud bang.

Several things happened in the next thirty-seconds. As soon as the door slammed open, Noatak stepped through and slammed it shut. This quick succession of noises woke Sen up, and upon seeing Noatak dressed in her father’s clothes, her sleep addled brain made this conclusion.

_Her father was home, and he was mad._

A scream ripped from her throat, and Noatak dropped the seal in shock. Turning swiftly towards the girl, he advanced, and immediately stopped short when she screamed again.

“Sen! It’s me!” Noatak watched as the girl became aware of her surroundings. She slumped backwards on her hands, and hung her head.

“N-Noatak. You’re back.”

“Yes. What the spirits was that.”

“Nothing. Sorry. I’m fine.”

He could only stare as the girl got up and approached him like nothing had happened. When she reached him, she stooped down to pick up the turtle-seal. Noatak grabbed her arm.

“Stop.”

“Noatak, I’m fine, really.”

Noatak pulled her closer to the fire, leaving the turtle-seal on the floor where it had fallen. “I don’t think you are. Sit.”

He watched her sit down reluctantly, and then joined her on the floor. “Why did you scream? You saw me and screamed.”

She was visibly shaken, and when he had asked his question, she had drawn in on herself. He wondered if he would even get an answer.

“It’s your clothes.”

“My clo-”

“They’re my father’s. You’re wearing my father’s clothes.”

_Her father’s clothes? Well yes, they were thicker than his, better suited for hunting. Why was this an issue- Oh._ Noatak began to connect the dots.

“You thought I was your father.”

“Yes.”

Noatak hadn’t really hated anyone except his father. He was finding he hated Sen’s just as much.

——

Sen sat in front of the fire, knees pulled up to her chest. She refused to look at Noatak, mostly out of embarrassment, although a little fear still lingered.

“You’re scared of your father. Why?”

She sat in silence a little while longer. She had shared a lot with the boy she had saved, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to share this.

She heard a small sigh from beside her. “The night you took me in. I told you I was running.” Sen lifted her head just enough, that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. “I was running from my father.”

This grabbed her attention, and Sen finally turned to look at Noatak.

“You remember I am a bender?” Sen gave a small nod in agreement. It was hardly something she would forget, although she still hadn’t seen him bend. Noatak continued on. “He loved my abilities, not me.” Noatak paused again, and Sen watched as he seemed to steel himself. “When I refused to use them to his benefit, he threatened my brother. I ran.”

Sen reached out a hand and set it lightly on his shoulder. She couldn’t imagine trying to protect a sibling. It was a responsibility she had never had to carry. She was going to have to take a page from Noatak’s book. He had told her about his father, she would tell him about hers.

“My father holds great stock in bending. When he found out I did not possess that talent, he took it out on my mother.” Sen could feel her eyes begin to sting. “He sails for most of the year, because he cannot stand to look at me.”

“Disappointment doesn’t explain why you screamed, Sen.”

——

Noatak watched as Sen tensed. His next question would make her uncomfortable, but he needed to know the answer. “Has he hit you, Sen?”

“Only twice.”

Noatak felt rage course through him. His father had reprimanded before, raved and yelled and screamed, and several times he had tried to hit Noatak and Tarrlok. Noatak was strong enough to keep it from actually happening. Sen was not.

It was such a macabre conversation, and he was so tired of it all. He let out a huff. “We both have shitty fathers.”

“Noatak!” Sen snapped to look at him, and one look at her indignant face had him laughing. Full body laughs that sent him to the floor. It was such a bizarre situation. He wasn’t even phased when a quiet giggle joined him.

——

In the month following their heart-to-heart, life had grown much better for Sen. Noatak was still very private, but they joked and laughed and sometimes he told stories about his younger brother. In turn, she told stories about her and her mother. It was good, and it agreed with Noatak’s fairness quirk. She still hadn’t full deciphered that behavior yet, but at this point, she wasn’t complaining.

The new free-time she had, although still sometimes unnerving, was now filled with games. Noatak had figured out how to make a modified Pai Sho board, using an old mat and some spare pebbles. Neither of them really knew how to play the game, so they made up rules as they went. Sen, discovering she had a competitive streak, was the biggest offender, and yet somehow, most of the time Noatak still won.

Sen had even once expressed an interest in learning to play ice marbles. It was a moot point because she didn’t have any, and she couldn’t get any. The next day, Noatak came back from chores to drop a handful of them in her hands. Sen knew how ice marbles were made, but Noatak still refused to bend in front of her, so she chose not to bring it up.

This was the best time she had had in years, and it all came shattering down in one afternoon. She had been in the kitchen, rolling the marbles along the counter. She could hear Noatak outside chopping wood, and she wondered how long he had been with her. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out. She strode over to the alcove, pulled back the curtain, and grabbed a small book off one of the shelves. She returned to the counter and opened the book, revealing a calendar.

Sen stopped short, and her eyes zeroed in on a circled day, six weeks out. Her world stopped.

Her father would be home soon.


	5. Leave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok fun! There's like one chapter left in this pseudo arc. Pretty excited (sort of, more like nervous) 
> 
> I hope ya'll like this chapter? Idk. I knew how I wanted it to end for a while now, but actually getting there was hard.
> 
> (hopefully) enjoy!

Noatak ladled soup into two bowls before turning to the table. Sen was already sitting in one of the four chairs as he passed her a bowl. Sitting down across from her, Noatak dug into his food. It was relatively good. He had been responsible for dinner tonight, and he had settled on soup. It was one of the only things he could actually make. His father hadn’t liked him wasting precious practice time on ‘women’s work’. Needless to say, he was still learning.

Noatak glanced at Sen. She was curiously quiet. Usually by this point she was making comments on the food. Anything to fill the silence. Neither of them liked it.

“Is the food okay?”

“Huh?” Sen looked at him with a confused face. She had been thinking very hard on something then, to have been that zoned out.

“The food? Is it bad?”

“Oh, no. It’s good.” She only glanced at him briefly, and then she was zoning out again. Noatak wondered what was going on. She almost seemed worried. He thought things had been better, since her panic attack. He made sure to avoid wearing her father’s clothes, and they never discussed the man. Maybe she was just tired? She got pretty quiet when she was. Noatak let the matter go, and dug into his meal with equal silence. It would be fine. Everything would work itself out. He ignored the sinking feeling in his gut.

——

The next day saw Sen’s thoughts taking a drastic turn. At dinner the night before, she had thought only of the fact her father would be home soon. It had monopolized her entire thought process, and for just a moment, she forgot she wasn’t alone. When she finally had remembered Noatak’s presence, a new and more pressing concern had take control of her thoughts.

What would her father do if he found Noatak here when he returned?

It wouldn’t be anything good. Her father may have only hit her twice, but her mother was not so lucky. She had hidden it well, but you couldn’t hide everything all the time. No matter how terrifying it was to admit, her father would probably try to kill the boy, and Sen didn’t have the strength to stop him. That meant one thing only.

Noatak had to leave.

How she would get him to leave, was the real question. He had nothing of his own, and he wouldn’t survive the two day trip to the closest village without provisions. Why go to the trouble of saving him from her father, if he was just going to die on the trail? That meant Sen needed to make him a pack. It would need a map, and a bedroll, and food of course. He might need a weapon too. Who knew what kind of trouble he might run into on the road. She could probably slip in one of the two khukri in the house. She would have to come up with an excuse if her father noticed its absence.

What was he going to do after he got to the village though? He had no money. None at all, and he wouldn’t get far without any. Her mind turned to the small floor cabinet in the kitchen. When she had been younger, her mother had very rarely needed to go to the village, but when she did, she had needed money. Sen wasn’t supposed to know where it was kept, per her father’s orders, but right before her mother had disappeared, she had shown Sen the kitchen cabinet, and its false floor. Underneath that floor was all the money her father did not take with him when he was sailing. The last time she had checked, it had been a substantial amount. She decided all of it would go into the pack for Noatak.

When her father found out, she knew she was in for a third hit.

——

Noatak laid down the dishes to dry and turned to Sen, who was piling logs on the fire. They had just finished lunch, and they had already finished all the necessary chores for the day. Sure, they could probably find some kind of work to fill the time, but now they didn’t need too.

Walking over to the only bookshelf in the house, Noatak pulled a box off the top. He brought it to the table and emptied it of its contents. The pieces of their modified Pai Sho set tumbled out.

“Hey Sen, up for a game?”

“Not tonight.”

“Why? Worried you’ll lose again?” He was wearing a smirk at this point. Their game might have allowed for a lot of cheating, but she still managed to lose most of the time.

“Just not interested.” And then she was walking out the door, leaving him by himself, at a table covered in pieces.

——

Noatak didn’t really know how their night had ended like this, in a screaming match. It had started normally, he had thought. Sen had been in charge of dinner, so he set the table. She plated the food, they both sat down to eat. It was routine now. The break in routine came with their choice of topic.

Over the last couple of weeks, he had noticed a change in Sen. It had felt almost like she was pulling away. She was quieter overall, she didn’t seem as interested in their games, and he noticed the way she left the room when he appeared. It wasn’t all the time, but it was enough to bother him. Now, she spent a lot of time on her own. Meal-time conversations didn’t extend far past pleasantries at this point.

That wasn’t the case tonight, and their conversation began like this: “Have you thought about what comes next?”

Noatak was in the middle of a bite of fried fish when the question was asked. He choked on it. “What do you mean?”

“What comes next for you?”

“You mean, now?”

“Yes, Noatak. What’s your plan?”

A plan? He didn’t have one. He’d been without one for a while now. The last few months, he had been living on a day by day basis. He hadn’t put much work into his future plans. If he really thought about it, he knew he would eventually need to leave the North Pole, but that event didn’t have a date yet.

“We can figure out a plan later. There’s no rush, right?”

“You need a plan.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes, not matter how hard he tried to meet hers.

“Why—wh—what is going on? Why do you keep asking about plans?” He was getting annoyed now, and his voice began to rise. “I don’t have a plan. I’m in no rush. Why are you?”

He had barely finished speaking before Sen was standing from her seat, her chair toppling to the floor behind her. Oh, she was meeting his eyes now. She almost looked frightened.

“You have to leave Noatak! You can’t stay here anymore, I don’t want you here anymore!”

Noatak’s thoughts came to a screeching halt.

Why would she not want him here? Things had been ok, right? He had been fair, and he had never used his bending near her. Was she afraid of his bending? Was that why she looked frightened? Was he scaring her? She didn’t know he could blood-bend, did she? He hadn’t used that since the night he ran, of course she didn’t know. Then why was she asking him to leave?

“Why? What’s going on?” He was standing now too, and the table was left between them.

“You just have to leave! You can’t spend the rest of your life here, ok!”

“Maybe so, but I don’t need to leave now.”

“Yes, you do!”

He didn’t want to leave now. His father had taken away his chance at a childhood, at friends. No matter how wary he had been of her in the beginning, there was no denying that Sen was his first friend. What would happen to her after he left? What would her father do?

He went to speak, but apparently Sen was done arguing. Suddenly she was pulling her khukri off its hook on the wall, unsheathing it, and pointing it at Noatak.

Noatak didn’t know how to respond. Never once had Sen threatened him. He had only seen her use that khukri for hunting. She didn’t even know how to fight! Was she that afraid of him? Was his bending scaring her that much? That had to be why. He hadn’t done anything else wrong. This, scaring her with hisabilities, it was just the kind of thing his father would have loved. She had no bending, she was weaker than him. He had the power and he should use it.

This was why he had run in the first place. His father had wanted tools. Wanted weapons to use against his enemies. Why should he stay then, if he was only becoming what his father wanted. In one fell breath, all the fight left him.

“Ok.”

“What?”

“I’ll leave.” The entire conversation, and it was really more of a screaming match, and left him feeling almost empty. The last time he had felt like this, was the night he had run. Noatak immediately turned to the door, determined to leave, and realized he had nothing, other than the clothes on his back. He didn’t even know how far the next village was, but did he really have a right to ask her for some of her food stores?

“Wait.” He stared as the girl retreated for a brief moment behind the curtain, and returned with a packed rucksack. A pre-prepared rucksack.

“You’ve been planning this.” And he was hurt, because truly, he thought they had been friends of some kind.

She didn’t answer him, merely handed him the pack, and stepped back to watch him.

“There’s a map in the left pocket. I’ve marked the nearest village.” At this point she was starting to look a little sad, and tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes. Why would she be crying?

“Goodbye, Noatak.”

And then she was receding behind the curtain to the alcove, and Noatak was in an empty room. He opened the door. Still a little dazed, he stepped out, shut it behind him, pulled loose the map, and walked away.

——

It seemed like hours before Sen was able to pull herself up from the floor. She had collapsed there after telling Noatak goodbye, and all she felt was remorse and self loathing. She had pulled a knife on him! She didn’t know how to use a knife on a person! Had she really been that desperate? When she finally struggled to her feet, she listened first for any noises. She wanted to be sure Noatak had left, because if he hadn’t already, she didn’t have the fight left to make him.

Stepping out into the main room when the hut proved quiet, Sen collapsed in front of the dwindling fire. The pile of wood that normally sat next to the hearth was vacant, and she couldn’t muster the energy to go outside and get more. Sen sat and watched while the fire died. She was alone again. Back at the start, and so much worse off, because now she knew what it was like to have a friend.

She sat and stared for a long time, as the fire grew cold. Nothing around her registered, and all her senses felt dulled.

The sound of the hinges on the front door broke her from her stupor. Her first hope was that Noatak had come back. When she saw who was actually at the door, she was glad he was gone. She was supposed to have two weeks. Two more weeks to prepare. Now she had none.

“Why is it so fucking cold in here? What, did you forget how to keep a fire?”

Standing in the doorway was her father.

All Sen could do was cry.


	6. Mark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot woot! The end of the first mini arc. Yay! 
> 
> I'm actually really happy with myself for getting this far. Please enjoy!
> 
> Oh, there's also a quick update on the, update (?) schedule at the end.

Noatak made his way through the snow. He had put the map away after he got his bearings, and now his hands grasped the straps of the bag in tight fists. He hadn’t gotten very far in the few hours he had been on the road. Although evening had edged on into dark night, he should have been able to make good time. The path was clear, and the moon was bright. It wasn’t a full moon yet, but it was nearing it’s zenith.

Still, his feet dragged on and his pace stayed slow. He had thought about stopping for the night and setting up the bedroll, but his sadness had edged into bitterness and he was determined to keep going.

Even if his slow pace betrayed him.

The road was really less of a road and more of a trail, with a few determining land marks. The first had been a boulder, the second was an official way-marker, and he was just coming upon it. He could see it in the distance. Maybe fifty yards or so. The marker was at a split in the path. To the right was inland, and the village. To the left, the shore and a small port.

The map had actually indicated there was a parallel path to the one he was traveling, and this way-marker was the only place all four roads met. He could actually see it in detail now. Four large stones stacked on top of each other, and he thought he saw impressions in the sides. When he finally reached the marker, he was able to further inspect the apparent etchings, which told him where the paths led.

Deciding this was a good a spot as any to take a break, Noatak shrugged the pack from his shoulders. He hadn’t actually inspected its contents, only taken note of the visible map and bedroll. Now he found that it was stocked with enough food for several days of travel, and one of Sen’s khukri was sheathed on top. He pulled the rations out to take stock, and at the bottom of the pack found a small box. He picked it up and lifted the lid. There was money inside. A lot of it. A very substantial amount. Just enough that he might be able to barter passage to the Earth Kingdom, or maybe even the Fire Nation.

He hadn’t really thought about money while living with Sen. They were basically self-sufficient, and he had really just assumed that her father kept the money with him. Even after she had kicked him out, he hadn’t even begun to think about what he was going to do when he reached the village.

Now, he didn’t really need to. He would have to budget, and he would need to try and find a vessel that would let him work for passage, but now he wasn’t so concerned.

She had been terrified of him, and still given him all of this.

It only further confused him.

——

When Noatak had finished taking stock, and had eaten some of the rations, he began to pack his things away. He stood up from where he was seated against the way-marker, and looked over the two paths. Maybe he should skip the village all together? He could head straight to the port. Winter was quickly approaching, and vessels making the crossing to the other elemental countries would be docking soon.

His feet took him to the left.

They also stopped him short when he saw the tracks in the snow.

Large booted feet had passed through recently, dragging a sled behind them. They hadn’t turned right, towards the village, but rather straight back towards Sen.

Noatak’s mind began to move. How had he not noticed the tracks earlier? They were hard to miss. And why were they headed back that way? The map indicated Sen’s home was the only thing out that direction.

Noatak shouldered his pack and set back the way he had come, his pace much quicker than before.

——

Sen made slow and measured movements around her father. When he had first come through the door, she had broken out in ugly sobs. That had only lasted mere minutes, because that was all the tolerance her father had for it. He had dropped his bag on the kitchen table, strode over to her, grabbed her by the shoulders and hoisted her up. Without being asked, she had scrambled out the door to retrieve firewood. She wanted to loiter outside, but she didn’t dare waste any time. She loaded her arms and went inside to dump it in the hearth.

She didn’t know what to do. It was late, and her father was home early. In fact, he usually spent a week or two at the port before returning home.

“I haven’t eaten in hours.”

Ah. Food she could do. She sprang to the kitchen, and pulled out the ingredients for a quick soup. He father continued speaking, but not necessarily to her.

“Son’s of bitches had no right. No right! Twelve years on that ship…” His words faded to an inaudible grumble, and with the way he was throwing his things around, Sen could figure what had happened.

The crew and captain had essentially fired her father. He would need to find a new ship. He would need to be vetted, and he might not even sail the next season. Sen despaired.

Throwing the rest of the ingredients together, Sen hauled the pot over to the growing fire. With the soup warming, she stood there silently and waited to see what her father did. Currently, he had collapsed in a chair at the kitchen table, with a small ball of water.

For the longest time, one of the constants in her life had been her father’s use of water. When she was smaller, before they learned she would never bend, her father used to take her in his lap and manipulate the water in beautiful shapes. He had been stern, but he had loved her. That wasn’t really the case anymore. Over the years, those pretty shapes had turned into cold rebukes.

——

Her father had just finished up his meal by the time she was getting out her bedroll. She placed it near the fire, and waited to see if her father had anything more to say. He was back to manipulating his ball of water, in increasingly furious motions. Sen determined it was probably safe to go to bed, and began to pull back the blankets on her bedroll.

It was peaceful for probably twenty minutes before her father suddenly got up and stalked into the kitchen. He seemed to look around, and when he took notice of her, she quickly turned her head away. It was quiet behind her for a moment, before she heard her father begin to move. There was the sound of a cupboard, and pots and pans being emptied onto the floor. What sounded like a plank of wood hit the floor with a bang. Sen was terrified, because now she knew what her father was looking for. Now she knew what he wasn’t going to find.

“Where the fuck is it!”

Sen remained silent, and cowered in her blanket.

“Where is my money!”

——

Noatak was making good time. He was following the footprints, but his mind was elsewhere. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure out who would be headed out towards Sen. In all the time they had lived together, not once had there been any visitors.

The way he understood it, Sen had lived her entire life, out on the edge of the tundra with only her mother for consistent company, and a potentially abusive father every six months. No extended family that he knew of, and no neighbors.

But there was something there, sitting at the back of his mind. He just couldn’t pin down the thought. It was something about her father. Maybe? What was it? He was a sailor. He knew that. Most sailors left on six month voyages, during the summers when it was easier to leave the North Pole. When had he started to live with Sen? It had probably been sometime around, three months? Maybe four?

Four months! That’s what it was! The memory had been deemed unimportant, something said in passing.The first night after he had woken up in Sen’s care, he had asked about her parents. She had said her father wouldn’t be back for four months! Her father would be home soon. But then, why had she kicked him out? He could have stayed, helped her. He would have persuaded her to leave!

These prints then. They had to be her father’s.

Noatak broke into a run.

——

Sen stumbled to her feet in an attempt to get away from her father, who was kicking his way through the pots and pans on their kitchen floor. The noise slammed against her senses and only furthered her panic. She continued to scramble backwards, her eyes never moving from her father.

“What have you done with my money!”

“Nothing! I haven’t done anything with it!” He continued advancing on her, and Sen rushed to put the kitchen table between them. “I don’t even know where it is!”

That response only seemed to double her father’s fury. “Born a disappointment, but I still raised you, and this is how you repay me!” Sen watched as he grabbed the edge of the table in his white-knuckled grip. “Worthless! No bending, and now a thief!”

The terror she felt increased tenfold when she caught sight of the kitchen sink. She had heard it said, young children who couldn’t control their bending often triggered it with intense emotions. It was one of the few lessons she had received as a child. She hadn’t really thought it applied to adults. She was discovering that was not the case. Water was being pulled out of the kitchen faucet at an alarming rate, and it was beginning to circle her father.

“I raised you the way any water bender should be raised, and you couldn’t even muster the skill! Your mother didn’t help either! Always coddling you! I should have been tougher from the beginning!”

A stream of water whipped out and struck her in the face. Sen stood in shocked silence, and lifted a hand to her cheek. Already she could feel the blood slipping down her face.

“Nothing to say for yourself!”

Sen couldn’t even respond. Her father had only ever struck her twice, and although he had used his bending to splash her and taunt her, he hadn’t ever actually used it on her physically.

Her lack of a response just made everything worse. She could only watch as the water around him stopped moving, and turned to icicles in front of her. Already, they were poised to strike her.

And then several things happened at once: In the second before the icicles came hurdling towards her, the door to the hut flew off its hinges and slammed into her father. Standing in the doorway was Noatak, and Sen only had a second to register that fact, before the icicles were cutting into her and she was blacking out.

——

Noatak felt nothing but fury.

When he had first seen Sen’s house in the distance, nothing had seemed amiss. He had snuck around the back, and rounded nearer to the door, in an effort to hear what was going on inside. Already he could see the sled he had been tracking, sitting on the other side of the door. His fears were confirmed. Her father was here and inside. Still, he waited to see what would happen. Maybe his fears were for nothing.

The loud cacophony of noises said otherwise. He could hear the crashing, and then after that, the yelling. Noatak dropped his pack in the snow, and squared himself with the door. He didn’t even comprehend the fact he was bending, until the door was flying off its hinges.

He stood in the doorway of Sen’s home, and couldn’t do anything but watch as her own father tried to kill her. Something in him was snapping, because this girl was kind enough to save a stranger, nurse him, and let him live here, and this man had the audacity to call himself her ‘father’.

He wasn’t even fast enough to keep the icicles from hitting Sen, and know he could see her, covered in blood, crumpled against the wall of her own home.

The thing inside him snapped.

Quicker than he could really fathom, and _if only I had been this quick a second ago,_ Noatak was standing in front of Sen, making himself as large as he could in the presence of her father.

He watched as the man pushed himself up from the floor, shrugging off the door like it was nothing.

“Who the fuck are you?”

He could barely bridle his rage. This man didn’t even seem bothered! How could he not be!

The puddles of water on the floor of the hut were rising with his fury, and Noatak hadn’t had this lack of control for years. He decided the circumstances allowed for it. Quickly, quicker than he would have thought for someone who hadn’t used their bending in four months, Noatak had all the water swirling around him in a constantly moving wall. Anything to keep the man in front of him away.

“I said who the fuck are you!”

Noatak decided this man deserved no responses, and kept his mouth firmly shut.

The man in front of him sneered. “Don’t try and use water with me, boy.”

Noatak’s control on the water slipped, as the man tried to take it from him. His fury ripped it back, but the man was determined. For several minutes, they wrestled for control of the element. In between them, the water itself writhed, a mass of unbridled anger on both sides.

Noatak’s thoughts turned to Sen, because this was taking to long, and he could feel the blood around her, no matter how much he tried to ignore it. With his concentration divided, his hold on the water finally slipped, and he could only watch as the man in front of him pulled it back in a menacing show. With Noatak’s scattered mental state, he didn’t have the focus to draw in water from the outside, and was left to protect Sen with nothing.

“Hm. Not so tough now, boy.”

The water in the air condensed into ice.

Noatak threw his hand out, and Sen’s father _stopped._

The water fell, and Sen’s father stood still.

“Blood-bending.” The man almost looked scared. “You’re a blood-bender.”

The look of terror didn’t last.

“You’re an abomination!” The man was fighting him then. Really fighting him. “Blood-bender!”

Noatak just wanted it all to stop. He hadn’t meant to do it. Would never have meant to do it. The man just wouldn’t stop, why couldn’t it just stop!

_Hrrk._

The man stopped. Noatak ripped his hand back to his chest, and watched as the man crumpled to the floor.

——

Noatak’s mind was reeling, but he tried to pull it into some semblance of order. First priority was Sen.

He turned to the girl, and his brain almost stopped. She was slumped against the wall. Passed out. Covered in red.

He knelt next to her and his hands hovered above her. _What do I do?_ He knew he should stop the bleeding. In theory, that was what he should do. His hands weren’t moving though. He was panicking.

_Blood. Lots of blood. Blood should be inside the body, yes? Right. Yes, inside the body._ He could do this. If he didn’t, Sen was dead. She might already be dead. _Pulse. Check for a pulse._ Noatak’s fingers fumbled past the blood to Sen’s neck. There it was. A small, shallow rhythm against the pads of his fingers. _She’s not dead.Ok, ok right.Blood inside._

_How do you get blood inside?_

Noatak stilled. He could move blood. He had done it numerous times before. Hundreds of times before. Over and over under his father’s tutelage. He had just done it again on Sen’s father. What said it had to be inside the body?

Noatak raised his hand above the small puddle surrounding Sen. _So much. So much. Shouldn’t be this much._ He forced himself to _calm, be calm._

The blood moved.

It rose from the ground surrounding Sen, and seeped out of her clothes, to form a floating ball of red. Immediately, Noatak began guiding it towards the numerous cuts on Sen’s body. He watched as it seeped back inside the cuts, and then he tried his hardest to focus. To remember how the blood was supposed to flow, and make sure its pathways were clear.

He sat there for twenty minutes, healing veins and skin.

His mark grew on her forehead.

——

Sen opened her eyes, and immediately remembered what had happened. There was noslow recollection. It all came rushing to the forefront of her mind in a wave of panic.

_Noatak._

She went to sit up, and immediately fell back. She was lightheaded and a little dizzy, but no worse for wear. That shouldn’t have been the case. In the seconds before she passed out, she had felt the bight of ice cutting her skin. She should have been bleeding out.

“Sen!” There was Noatak’s voice, and then his arms were scooping behind her back to help prop her up.

Once she was settled, Sen appraised the situation. There were puddles of water all over the floor, the kitchen table had tipped on its side at some point, and behind it—

“Noa, what did you do?”

She watched as his head turned to follow where she was pointing.

“I think I knocked him out.”

“You think?” Sen looked at him and then back to the fallen form of her father. “What do you mean, you think?”

She watched as his eyes seemed to harden. “He almost killed you.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Sen stared at the boy in front of her. Why had he even come back? He should have been on the road to the village. Not here. Not where he had faced the man she wanted him to avoid.

“Why are you here?”

His head sagged towards the floor.

“I was worried. I saw tracks, headed back towards you. I thought something might happen.” Once again, his head turned towards her father, and she caught the cold fury his face displayed. “I don’t regret it.”

“We have to talk about this.”

“Not right now.”

“Then when, Noatak?” She was starting to get annoyed. They were just going in circles at this point. Her mind turned again, to her first query. “And what happened to the blood?”

His head whipped towards her so fast, she thought it might fly off. “What?”

Sen grew concerned. “Blood, Noatak. I know I was bleeding.” At this she reached up towards the cut on her cheek, and couldn’t find it. Her eyes snapped up towards his. “What did you do?”

He was silent for a moment, but when he finally spoke, his voice sounded detached.

“You were going to die. I just did what I could.”

“That doesn’t tell me anything.”

“It’s enough.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I don’t want to talk about it now.”

“Noatak, what did you d—”

“Bending. I used bending.”

His final statement was almost frantic, and Sen watched as he clammed up. She was trying to puzzle it out, but she wasn’t having much luck. How had he used bending? Water-bending didn’t work like that, did it? She knew it could heal, but not to this extent, right? She hadn’t gotten far in her lessons as a child, but she was pretty sure this wasn't something that could be done. Not unless... but that wasn’t real, was it? That had to have been something her mother made up, to embellish stories. It was the kind of thing that just felt instinctually wrong.

“Blood-bending is real?”

“Yes.”

“But, it healed me.”

“Yes.”

“I thought it was only used to contr—”

He cut her off with a frustrated sound. “It is. Normally. I’ve never heard of it used this way.”

So he was just as confused as her. Well, that was one thing solved? Explained?

She was pulled from her thoughts when he reached forward, and poked her forehead. “What are you doing?”

His stony look dropped for just a moment, and she thought she saw equal parts fear, equal parts embarrassment?

“The bending, it did something.”

“What?”

“I-it’s hard to explain—just give me a minute.”

She watched as he stood, and once again ignoring the form of her father, slipped into the alcove. He returned a moment later with the compact mirror they kept in the first-aid kit. He knelt in front of her, opened it, and turned it to face her.

_Huh_. That was, different. It was like, a tattoo? She didn’t really know. She had never thought about getting one, and she knew her father had some— _stop. Right, focus._ It was a perfectly round circle, sitting in the middle of her forehead. It was a deep red color, but not blood?

“I don’t know what it is, but that’s never happened before.”

Sen nodded her head, and Noatak put away the mirror. There was a lot to unpack in that statement. _Before? He’s done this befo—stop!_

Sen began to regroup her thoughts, pulling her mind into order, packing things away in an attempt to stave off any more panic. She needed to ignore the mark, and the implications of Noatak’s statement, and they needed a plan. Soon. For when her father woke up. _If._ And that was a completely different thought. One she needed to box up and put away for later. _Focus_. Okay, they nee—

“We have to leave.”

That was a scary thought, and it shouldn’t have been. What should have been scary, was the fact Sen hadn’t even let the thought cross her mind. Oh, she knew they needed a plan, but…she didn’t really know. All she knew was that the prospect scared her. She had never gone farther than the nearest village. She hadn’t ever thought about what was past that. There was so much past that, on the maps she had seen, tucked away when her father was home. Wondrous places her mother had brought to life in stories, but actually leaving? Leaving, and never looking back, because there was no going back—

“Sen.” Her eyes met his. “There are no other options.”

She watched as he stood, dusted himself off, and offered a hand.

She took it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Thanks so much for reading this far. It really does mean a lot. I've never published anything I've written before, so this was a little nerve-wracking.
> 
> So if you've been paying attention, I update on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month. Today is the tenth. I'm not gonna have an update on the 20th, because I want to finish more of the draft first. 
> 
> Like, this first arc started as two chapters? So the last two updates have been finished up right before I post. It's a little bit stressy. Soo, I'm taking a quick break. No worries though, super excited for the beginning of the next arc on the 30th.
> 
> See you then!  
> (Hopefully!)


	7. Streets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back! Excited for this chapter 'cause it was really fun to write. Hope ya'll enjoy!  
> And if you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a good holiday.

_AG 160_

Sen weaved through the crowd, brushing shoulders and searching pockets. She could see Noa, standing near the edge of the crowd and keeping watch. He looked bored, but she knew he was looking out for police officers. More specifically the metal-bending ones. They hadn’t had a run in with them yet, and they wanted to keep it that way.

She slipped her hand into an old man’s coat pocket and came back out with a wallet. She should have felt bad, and maybe a year ago she would have, but morals were a luxury, and they couldn’t afford them.

“Sen!”

Her head snapped up, just in time to see Noa’s signal, and then she was off like a shot, sprinting out from the middle of the crowd. If she looked back, she could see two Republic City officers chasing her. Taking an immediate left out of the plaza, she ducked into the designated alley.

When she and Noatak had first bartered passage from the North Pole, they had only been able to get to the edge of the United Republic. Actually getting to Republic City had been their great achievement, and they had done it via stolen wallets. They had done it so often, they had it boiled down to a science.

Noatak was too big to do the actual stealing. He was fifteen, and hitting his growth spurts fast. Sen was actually pretty good at it, so she picked pockets and he kept watch. If he noticed any trouble, he gave the signal, she ducked out of the crowds, and they met up at a pre-established spot after.

So there she was, sitting behind a dumpster, waiting for Noatak to reappear. Depending on how long it took him to ditch any tails, it could be a while.

——

Noatak was getting increasingly annoyed. What had started as a pair of police officers had since doubled. Add in the metal-bender he had picked up, and he was thoroughly pissed. The only apparent positive was the fact that the two officers he had gained, were also the ones that had gone after Sen. That at least meant she had made it to the alleyway.

Still, he didn’t think he was going to be shaking them anytime soon. Especially with the metal-bender. Already the man was gaining on him, using the metal cables to throw himself down the street. If Noatak hadn’t been so mad, he might have been worried. Nevertheless, he was running on an adrenaline high, and doing pretty well at evading all five Republic City police.

He was leading them into a residential area, which was good, because residential areas were always rife with hiding spots and sudden alleys. He ran down a few side streets, and knocked a couple trash cans down in their way, and although it slowed down the normal officers, it didn’t seem to be deterring the metal-bender.

He turned again, and slipped left, into an open doorway. He could hear the officers clambering behind him as he ducked into a second doorway and up a flight of stairs. The stairs opened up into a long hallway lined on either side by apartments. Reaching the end of the hall, he started trying doors, hoping for an unlocked one.

At the same time the officers were reaching the hallway, Noatak tried the last door. He shook the handle, and before he could truly process what was happening, the door swung open. A hand reached out, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him inside.

——

Sen was getting hungry. She had been waiting on Noa for close to two hours, and she was thinking about getting a snack. She could probably be back before Noa even showed up. Besides, she had spotted a food stand earlier, and it was selling red bean buns. She’d never had one, but they sounded really good.

She took one last look around the alley, and walked out and back towards the square. She should probably get some for Noa, seeing as she was using some of the money they had stolen together. She entered the square, and spying the particular food stand, wandered over. There was a wide array of pastries, and she questioned whether she should get several different ones to try.

She eventually settled on four different pastries, one of them a red bean bun, and began wandering back towards the alleyway. She could take her time now that she wasn’t being chased, and she had to marvel at the size of Republic City. It was huge! There was always something happening, and the streets were always full of people. Sen loved it. It was a stark difference to the solitude of the North Pole, and she reveled in it whenever she got the chance.

When she finally reached the alleyway, a quick glance proved it was still empty. That wasn’t entirely weird. She’d had to wait for longer before, so she figured there was still some time to go exploring. She took a look at her little bag of pastries, and decided she’d wait to eat them with Noa. Maybe. If he was gone much longer she probably wouldn’t. Oh well. She returned to the entrance of the alleyway, turned right, and started wandering.

She really did love Republic City. It was bright and colorful, and yeah, it still had slums, but Sen tried her hardest to ignore them. Noatak had told her that it was naive and selfish, and he was right, but sometimes she couldn’t handle the sadness the thoughts brought her. So she only paid attention to the good things. The green parks and pretty banners. The decorative markets and exotic foods. There were so many things to enjoy.

Sen exited the market she had been traversing. Looking up at the sky, she noticed the sun had started its descent. She needed to get back to the alleyway, or Noa was going to worry. Walking back in the general direction of their meeting point, Sen continued to take an alternate route. These were streets she had never walked before, but they were all going the right way, so it was fine.

Sen had just entered a more run-down part of the city when she heard the scream. It was high and loud, and quickly followed by a man’s yell. Immediately, she began running towards the sound. No matter how naive she could be, she would never ignore a cry for help. Noa had saved her, and until she could return the favor, she was going to do the same for others.

This though, she didn’t know if she could save them from this.

It was a family. A mother, a father, and a little boy behind them, and in front of them stood a fire-bender, hands already ablaze.

——

The second after the door shut in front of him, sealing off escape, Noatak panicked. Immediately, he began to fight the hands holding his collar, and when someone clamped a hand down over his mouth, he only fought harder. His hands flew backwards, and he tried scratching at the person behind him while his legs kicked outwards in a helpless flail. Really, it was an overall pathetic display of defense, and Noatak promised himself he was going to learn, first chance he got.

“Whoa kid! Cut it out, we’re not tryin’ to hurt you!”

The hands holding him let go, and Noatak turned around to face the speaker. He watched from a ready position as the woman in front of him held up her hands. She was stocky and muscled, and not the only person in the room. In fact, the room was full of various people, all adults. That just made him wary again. He watched with suspicion as the woman stood straight and backed up a few steps, giving him some space. The rest of the people in the room just watched from their various positions.

“Who are you?”

“Taka. These are my friends,” she said, gesturing to the rest of the room. A few of the people gave him grins, and someone near the back even waved. “and I just saved your ass.”

“What?”

“Kid, you’ve been taking those officers on a merry chase through the neighborhood. We noticed.” She gestured towards one of the men near the windows. “One of the boys saw you enter the building, I heard you coming down the hall, and you tried my door. I just let you in, that’s all.”

Noatak’s posture relaxed just a little, although he still didn’t move from his spot.

“Why’d you help me?”

“‘Cause I don’t like cops, kid, and I hate metal-benders even more.”

Taka, as the women had introduced herself, retreated to one of the tables and sat down. Noatak took in his surroundings. It was an apartment, probably middle class, and it was full of couches and tables. Almost like a club? Or what he imagined one to be like. Taka waved him over, holding up a glass towards him.

“Sit down kid, have a drink.”

Slowly, Noatak stepped towards the table. Taking the glass from her hand, he sat down and took a sip.

“It’s not alcohol.”

Taka let out a bark of laughter and a couple people hid grins behind their own glasses.

“You think I’m gonna give booze to some minor? Nuh-uh kid.”

He scowled a little when she laughed, but continued to drink his glass of water.

“When can I leave?”

“Whenever you like kid, but I wouldn’t advise it right now.”

“Why not?”

She gestured to the man by the window again. “Han, what’s it looking like?”

“The cops are still watchin’ the street, and the metal-bender is with them.”

Taka frowned, then turned to him. “Well, there you have it. Probably shouldn’t try leavin’ just yet.”

Noatak sat quietly, and thought about his next step. Sen had made it to the alleyway, he knew that much. In fact, she had probably wandered off by this point. He was usually the last one to their meeting spots, and Sen usually got bored. The first time he showed up and she wasn’t there, he had panicked. He had begun sweeping the streets surrounding their spot, and when he stumbled across her on the way back, it had taken a lot of restraint to keep from expressing his anger. They had eventually come to an agreement. If one of them was gone too long, the other could wander, just be back by sundown.

He glanced out the window, and frowned at the sun’s position. It hadn't begun its descent yet, but it would soon. And he was effectively trapped here until the officers decided to give up the chase.

“Do you have a back door, or another exit?”

“You in a hurry kid?”

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to mention Sen just yet. Although the Taka women may have helped him, it didn’t mean he trusted her. Not by a long shot. Still, if he was going to make it back in time…

“I’ve got a, friend, I’m taking care of. I’m supposed to be meeting them.”

“Ah. More street kids.”

Noatak wanted to be insulted, but she was right. He and Sen were street kids right now. Neither of them really trusted adults, and no one wanted to rent an apartment to two minors. They looked too much like runaways. He made a little hum of agreement.

“Are you and your friend doin’ alright? Enough food and water, somewhere to sleep?”

He lifted his head to look at the woman, suspicion rife in his eyes, no matter how sincere she looked. She held her hands up in mock defense.

“Easy kid. I know what it’s like to live on the streets.” She gestured to the people in the room. “Half of us do.”

His suspicion of the woman eased up, if only a little. She turned back to him.

“If you need anything, a place to stay, a hot meal, the door is always open.” He looked at her, weighing the options. “If it helps, you won’t be the only kids stopping by. I help a couple little groups out.”

He was almost sure she was telling the truth. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, he could feel the way her blood flowed, and it was flowing normally. Liars had a tendency for unusual flow. He wondered if he and Sen should ask for a place to stay? They had been spending most of their nights drifting around the industrial park, staying in different warehouses. It might be nice. Sen would probably appreciate it.

“If I brought my friend, could we stay a night?”

“Sure kid. Just knock.” She turned towards the window. “Any improvement Han?”

“Looks like they’re gettin’ antsy. Shouldn’t be much longer.”

“Alright, there you are kid. Not much longer.”

Noatak nodded his head, and set his empty glass on the table.

“You mentioned earlier, that you don’t like metal-benders. Can I ask—”

“Ah, I should clarify.” She smirked a little, and it looked more like a grimace. “I don’t like benders. There’s a lot of bad apples in a large group of people. Makes for a lot of bad people.”

He nodded his head again, and was going to let the subject drop when Taka spoke up again.

“You don’t seem very bothered by that.” He shook his head. “There’s two types of street rats. Those that idolize benders, an’ those that don’t tolerate them. I’m gonna say you’re the latter.” He gave a slow nod of affirmation. “Now why would that be. Care to share?”

“No.”

“Ah. Allow me to share first.” She sat up in her chair, and placed her hands on the table. “My sister was drowned by a water-bender when we were children, and an earth-bender killed my wife. Your turn.”

Noatak was shocked. This women had lost a lot to benders, and she had talked about it like they were merely facts, and not memories. Was this what benders were doing throughout the Four Nations? He couldn’t really tell her about his family. After he had told Sen, they had both promised never to speak of it again. They had agreed the same on Sen’s past too. He could probably give Taka the abridged version though.

“My friend and I,” and here he stumbled for just a moment, “were both abused by water-benders.” He made a point of looking at the table and nowhere else.

The room was quiet for a moment, and then the man, Han he thought, was speaking. “My father was a fire-bender, and he didn’t quite like my mother and I.”

It was like a dam had cracked, because slowly, other people began to speak up. A brother extorted, a parent taken for ransom and never returned, young children maimed in ‘accidents’. All of it done by benders. All of these people sharing their stories, non-benders.

Noatak was disgusted. This was everything he hated about his ability. That it was used to oppress people who should have been their equals. Those given bending should have been at the mercy of those without. They should have used it to protect, not belittle. Not maim and kill and extort.

When the last person had told their story, they all sat in silence. Thirty minutes must have passed that way. Nothing but subtle whispers and clinking glasses, before Han spoke up.

“You’re good to go kid. Officers are gone.”

Noatak nodded slowly, and stood from his chair. Before he could reach the door, Taka spoke up.

“Don’t forget kid. You and your friend need a place to stay, knock.”

“Yes ma’am.”

——

Sen let the bag of pastries slip from her hands, forgotten. What was she supposed to do? She hadn’t seen bending used for violence since her fath— It didn’t matter. All she knew was that she was no match for any kind of bender. How was she supposed to help this family? The mother already appeared hurt, the sleeve of her dress burnt off, and the arm itself— Sen averted her eyes. Although the family was facing her, only the little boy seemed to have noticed her. The parents were too preoccupied with the fire-bender.

The fire-bender wasn’t even facing her. She could hit him in the back of the head? Maybe? But with what? She didn’t have any weapons on her. She had left Noatak with the khukri. It was easier to pick pockets without them. Now she regretted that decision. That was the only option she could think of though. Taking one last look at the little boy, who was crying and screaming for help, she dashed off down the street.

She couldn’t have been gone more than a minute when she found part of a metal drain pipe propped up against a house. Immediately grasping it in her hands, she sprinted back the way she had come. Evidently, she’d been gone too long.

The father was dead, and that’s all she allowed her brain to register before she shut it down and boxed it away.

Hefting her makeshift weapon, she ran at the fire-bender. Even as she was going to swing it at his head, he was throwing a great ball of fire at the little boy, and the mother was stepping in front of it.

Even with the resounding thud of the fire-bender hitting the ground, Sen couldn’t block out everything. She fainted.

——

In the minutes after she came too, Sen came to a harrowing conclusion. Evidently, the boy had made it away. That was good. The fire-bender was still lying on the ground. This was also good. That wasn’t her conclusion though. Her conclusion was this: she couldn’t afford to be naive anymore. She wouldn’t allow herself to be naive anymore. This is what naivety had gotten her. A hopeless situation, and an event she was even now trying to box up and put away for later.

It wasn’t working.

She just wanted to find Noatak, so on shaky legs, she got up. The walk back was a long one, and several times she stumbled into both people and things. Her wandering had taken her pretty far, and now she was bone weary and scattered. She hadn’t stopped crying the entire walk back, and when she finally saw the alleyway, she let free a sob of relief. She still didn’t know if Noa was back yet, but just the thought of seeing something familiar encouraged her.

“Sen! Where have you been!”

Oh. He was back. Good.

Sen stumbled into the boy and threw her arms around him. She shoved her face into his chest and sobbed.

“Sen?”

She felt his hands tentatively return the embrace.

“Sen, what’s wrong?”

She fisted her hands in his back, and they sat in silence while her crying subsided.

“Sen?”

“There was—was a fire-bender, and—and this little family.” She started crying again, and Noa tightened his grip on her.

She didn’t continue speaking. She couldn’t. Everything was coming unpacked, and she was trying to keep from completely unraveling. Slowly, Noa guided them over towards the wall, and they slid to the ground. The sun had already dropped below the horizon, and the moon was only a sliver, so they sat in the darkness, surrounded by shattered naivety.


	8. Defense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I hope you all are having a good day! I liked writing this chapter, so I hope you like it too!

The next morning, Sen followed Noa through a residential area. They had woken up that morning, both stiff and achey from their night in the alley. Sen had been quiet, but she hadn’t felt as unraveled as the night before. Noa had explained what had happened the day previous, when they’d split up, and that they had a potential place to stay.

That was where he was leading her now. It was still relatively early in the morning, probably six or seven, and most of the streets were still empty. They hadn’t even had breakfast yet, not that Sen was very hungry. Still, she was a little wary. Although Noa had spoken of the day before, he hadn’t actually talked much about the woman that had helped him.

Sen followed closely behind Noa as he finally stopped and entered a building. He led her up a flight of stairs, and then down a long hallway. He stopped in front of the last door on the right, and Sen stood behind him as he knocked.

Several moments passed before they heard anything, and then there was a grumble from behind the closed door. About a moment later, it cracked open. A sliver of a woman appeared, and then the door was opened wide.

“You’re back. Didn’t think you were coming.” The woman was large, muscled, and frankly, borderline terrifying. She looked like she could snap Sen in half. That was when the woman peered at her. “You brought your friend.”

“Can we come in?”

“Straight to the point.” The woman stepped backwards out of the doorway. “Come on in.”

Noa stalked forward without so much as a word. Sen took it upon herself to thank the woman, even if she was still scary. “Thank you for giving us somewhere to stay.”

“No problem kid. He explain anything to you?” She gestured to Noa, and Sen gave a small nod. “Good. Come on, I was just about to make some omelettes.”

——

Sen let out a contented sigh. Ms. Taka made good omelettes. Bell peppers and cheese, and a little bit of ketchup. Sen hadn’t had something this good in months. She and Noa, upon first entering, had sat down at the kitchen table while the woman had made breakfast. She had introduced herself as Taka, and had filled in some of the personal information Noa hadn’t told her yet. Sen liked the woman. Watching her make omelets in a frilly yellow apron had diminished whatever fear Sen still held for her.

Now that they had finished breakfast, Sen pondered their next move. She and Noa had been living day-to-day for the most part. Their only goal had been to eventually rent their own apartment. She turned her head to look at him, and he met her eyes for only a moment. He stood up and took his plate to the sink, and Sen immediately followed. His little equality quirk hadn’t died out, and Sen knew it was easier to just follow his lead and split the work evenly.

Ms. Taka watched them go into the kitchen but didn’t follow. It gave them time to discuss their plans in pseudo-privacy. She began the conversation in a hushed tone.

“We’re here. Now what?”

“I’m not sure. I think she might be able to get us jobs.”

Sen took a sponge and covered it in soap. “How though? No one wants to hire runaways. We’ve tried that already.”

“I think she might have some friends who could help.”

She grabbed a dish from their small pile and began scrubbing. “Have you even asked?”

“I will.”

“Sure kid, I can find you a job.” Sen shrieked, and the plate she was cleaning slipped from her hand and shattered in the sink.

“I’m so sorry Ms. Taka! I didn’t mea—”

“Don’t worry about it kiddo. No big deal.” She waved her hand through the air. “It’s not important. What is important are your job prospects.” She looked them both up and down. “No matter how many strings I pull, you look way to young to be working. There’s laws that are going to keep people from hiring you.” She focused on Noatak. “You on the other hand, look old enough to pass off as the right age. I can get you something with Han. He’s got a convenience store about a mile away.”

Sen and Noa had stopped cleaning dishes by now, and Noa looked deep in thought. He was going to overthink things at this rate. “He’ll take it!”

“I didn’t say tha—”

“When does he start!”

“Sen, I—”

Ms. Taka let out a large laugh. “Little Lady has spoken, kid! I’ll talk to Han this afternoon. Get it all ironed out.”

“What about me though? You can’t feed me for free!”

“Sure I can! I do it all the time with the street kids.”

Sen was still bothered by the turn of events. No matter how often she teased Noa for his eccentric equality quirk, it was still rubbing off on her. Her face took the form of a frown, and she glanced at Noatak. His face was steeled over, and she wasn’t surprised. He had a tendency to do that around adults. They both did actually.

“If you’re that bothered, you can help me with my classes.”

“Classes?”

Ms. Taka gave a small hmm, and walked back out to the living room. Sen followed and Noa trailed after them.

“Yep. I give free self-defense classes to some of the kids around here. Gives ‘em a better chance on the street.”

Oh. That might be nice. Knowing how to defend herself. Maybe it would keep anything like yesterday from happening again. She glanced at Noa and he gave her a small nod. Apparently, he thought it was a good idea too.

“What would I be doing?”

“You might not of noticed, but the majority of the building is empty. There's an apartment on the ground level that I use for the classes. You can help me set up the mats and clean things up after classes.”

Sen nodded her head in agreement. “Can I it in on the classes too?”

“Definitely. They’re meant for kids like you guys.” She nodded to Noa. “You too. If you want to pop in. Might be good for you.”

“Yeah, alright.”

“Great. Why don’t you guys relax or something. I’m going to wander down to Han’s, talk to him about what’s going on. You’re free to come and go as much as you want.”

With that, Sen watched as Ms. Taka made her way around the apartment, getting ready and collecting her things. With a final nod and a smile, she walked out the door.

——

Noa and Sen were walking down the street and towards a food stall. After Taka had left, they had looked around the apartment. Noa snooped through all the rooms, and Sen silently scolded him. They had grown bored though, so Sen mentioned the food stall from the day before. He wasn’t keen on the idea, but she really wanted to try some red bean buns, and they didn’t have anything better to do. Noatak still had a little bit of their money left, and he figured it wouldn’t hurt to splurge a little because he’d be getting a job soon.

Sen walked along beside him, twin braids bouncing with her gait. She was glowing with excitement, and she appeared better than the day before. He was still silently cursing the fire-bender, and the circumstances that had lead to Sen’s interaction with him. Neither of them wanted anything to do with benders.

He watched as she stepped up to the vendor and he handed her the money as she bought two red bean buns. Evidently satisfied, they both wandered over to a nearby bench to eat their snack. Sitting down, Sen reached into the bag and pulled oh the buns, handing one to him. He inspected it briefly and then took a bite. It was good. Kind of weird, but good. They didn’t have anything like this at the North Pole. Sen was very happy though. He watched her take a bite, savor, and then eat the rest of it in seconds. Without prompting, he passed her his remaining half.

“This defense class. I think it would be good for both of us.”

She swallowed her remaining food before responding. “I agree. Will you try and show?”

“Yeah.”

The sat in companionable silence while she finished her snack.

“I like Ms. Taka.”

He made a noise of agreement.

“Do you think everything will work out?”

“We’ll see.”

——

Sen ducked the fist and popped back up, immediately ducking again to avoid another hit.

“You’re gettin’ faster kid! Good!”

Except, the next swing had her tripping over her feet and falling back onto the mat. She was exhausted, and didn’t try getting up.

“You done?”

Ms. Taka only received a wheeze in return.

In the four weeks they had been living with Ms. Taka, a few things had happened. Noa began working in a convenience store under the management of a man named Han, Sen had begun helping Ms. Taka with her classes, and both Noa and Sen had learned they didn’t know anything about proper defense. In theory, they knew they were clueless, but to actually get knocked down that fast in a spar? It wasn’t a proud moment for either of them, and already, they were running into issues.

Sen was small and quick, but she lacked any kind of strength, and that meant if she got caught, she couldn’t get free. Ms. Taka had already started working with her on that. The real issue came with Noatak. He wasn’t very keen on Ms. Taka’s tactics for defense.

All the moves she taught were non-confrontational. Absolutely no offense or anything of the kind. Her philosophy was get away, don’t engage. That didn’t sit well with Noa. Only the first week in, he had vented to Sen about it. He was worried that you couldn’t fend off a bender with Ms. Taka’s style. He had brought it up once to the woman herself, and it had quickly spiraled into a debate at the dinner table. It hadn’t been a friendly debate, and they both walked away from the table angry with the other. Still, Sen was just grateful for the basics. It made her feel a lot better to have the extra skills.

Ms. Taka extended a hand to help her up, and she hauled herself off the floor. Dusting off, she and Ms. Taka began to put away the mats and sweep the room. With the two of them, it never took very long. Now that they had finished, they both started up the stairs and back towards Ms. Taka’s apartment. Noa would probably be home soon, and then the both of them would make dinner.

Opening the door to the apartment, Sen spied his shoes by the entryway, and heard noises from the kitchen. She wandered in to find him already preparing ingredients. Without much prompting she began to help him. While they worked, they exchanged stories. She really liked this time of day. It was a routine she greatly enjoyed, and she was pretty sure Noa liked it too.

They prepared a stir fry for dinner, and when it was ready, Sen set the table. She, Noa, and Ms. Taka sat down to dinner like normal, and then Noatak opened his mouth.

——

“Why do you only teach ineffective tactics?”

He let his question hang in the air as the table grew quiet. Sen slowly lowered her fork, and Taka closed her eyes in irritation.

“We’ve been over this.”

“Well explain it again.”

“I don’t want to have to repeat this fight kid.”

“I just don’t understand why you don’t teach something you can actually use—”

“It is useful. It gives you a chance to get away.”

“But you can’t get away every time. Defense alone isn’t going to save anyone.”

Taka let out a sigh, and Noatak’s face turned cold. Defense wasn’t enough. He didn’t think it ever would be.

“You’re right, it’s not. It gives you a chance though.”

“I don’t just want a chance, I want to win.”

“There is no winning or losing. It’s just surviving.”

“I don’t want to have to survive. I just want to live.”

Sen excused herself from the table, but he could see her lingering in the doorway of the kitchen, eavesdropping.

“Doesn’t everybody.”

Her dismissive tone pissed him off.

“Then teach us how! Show us something other than evasive movements! Something that will let us fight—”

“I don’t teach you to fight, I teach you to run! Because it’s the only thing you can do!”

“But I shouldn’t have to!”

He watched the fight drain right out of the woman in front of him. She was a large woman, muscled and strong, but in that moment she looked tired and defeated. She slumped in her chair and Noatak felt immediate remorse.

“You’re right kid. You shouldn’t have to run, but until things change, until someone changes things, that’s all you can do.”

He whispered a soft apology, and she gave a small nod of acknowledgment. Sen re-entered the room and began to clear the table. No one was hungry anymore.

——

That evening as he and Sen were preparing to sleep, he made a conclusion.

“I need to leave Republic City.”

Her head snapped up in a panic. “What! Why?”

“Taka, at dinner. She said somethi—”

“You and Ms. Taka have different opinions, but the doesn’t mean we need to leave! You guys can have a discussion. I could mediate—”

He reached out a hand and grabbed her shoulder. “Calm, Sen. I’m not mad at Ms. Taka right now. I was trying to say she made a point.”

“She did?”

“Yeah. We’re going to spend our whole lives running, unless someone changes something.”

She looked up at him with an incredulous look. “And you think you’ll be that person?”

“I don’t know, but I think I need to see the rest of the Earth Kingdom. Gather an understanding of the problem as a whole, and see how far it spreads.”

“You’re talking like I won’t be with you.”

He gave a small smile, but he wasn’t very thrilled about the next part of this conversation. They hadn’t been separated for a year now, maybe a little more. They were on the same path, traveling together, and this was the first split they had encountered. He was afraid of the answer she would give to his question.

“You like it here. You’re settling in well, and I’m not going to make you leave just because I’ve decided too. It wouldn’t be fair, so the decision has to be yours. I won’t make it for you.”

“Then I go with you.”

“You have to be sure Sen. I don’t plan on leaving for a week. I need to get supplies anyway. Give me a decision then—”

“Nope.” She shook her head while wearing a grin. “We’re travel partners now. Guess we better tell Ms. Taka.” She stood up to leave the room, and Noatak could only watch in awe. Obviously, she knew what she wanted better than him, and if this was her decision, he couldn’t say he was disappointed.

Several minutes later, Sen returned with Taka in tow.

“I heard you’re leaving. I hope it’s not because of our fight earlier. Everyone has their own opinions, and I don’t want you to feel unwelcome just because ours differ.”

He met her eyes before he answered. “You’ve given me some things to think about, and I think the only way I can do it is out there. I need to see the world for myself.”

“Alright. I told you when you first came to me that I wouldn’t stop your comings and goings, and even though I may be worried, I won’t stop you. I will help you pack though.”

Sen piped up before he could answer. “Oh, it’s all right Ms. Taka. You’ve already helped so much and—”

“No buts. You’re not leaving this apartment without the proper supplies for a wandering life.”

Before Sen could speak again he reached over and hushed her. “Thank you Taka. We appreciate your help. Maybe one day I’ll be able to repay you.”

She let go a small scoff. “I won’t hold my breath kid, but the sentiment is appreciated.”


	9. Travelers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy!  
> (comments are kinda fun, if you want)

Noatak and Sen slipped into the back of the bar, hoods up and avoiding the eyes of any adults. They tried to stay small, or in Noa’s case, unmemorable. That morning they had caught word of another passionate ‘discussion’ in a nearby bar. Noatak had wanted to go and Sen had been interested too. It was how they spent most of their time while traveling.

In the six months Sen had been traveling, she had seen a lot of the Earth Kingdom. It was the largest of the Four Nations and the most diverse. She was loving it. She got to eat new food almost all the time, she was seeing different sights on the daily, and best of all, she was absorbing new stories. It was like those nights at the North Pole again, when Noa had first started living with her. They would camp for a night and she would tell him the new story she had heard or come up with. It was nice.

But she also wasn’t blind to the bad things they saw on their travels. Several times now, she and Noa had run from potential thieves. The two of them had stolen before yes, but they had no intention of hurting anyone. The groups they encountered did. Thankfully, they had only run into benders thrice so far. All three times they had used Taka’s defense tactics to get away. She could tell Noatak had been bothered by that.

Even worse than encountering thieves and benders, were the times they came upon an ‘aftermath’. It had happened twice, and both times she and Noa had been shocked, disgusted, and further determined to change things. The first time they stumbled upon an ‘aftermath’, they had found fresh graves and a farm, burned to the ground and destroyed by spires of earth. It was vicious and cruel and so unnecessary. She could tell Noatak was on the verge of an outburst, and later that night he had yelled into the sky, voice full of frustration.

The second time it was a village. Noa held her as she cried.

So no, she wouldn’t let herself be naive anymore. There were horrible things out there that she tried to balance against the good things. Some days it worked, and other days it didn’t.

The voice at the front of the bar grew louder and more incensed. When Noa had decided he needed to see the world, and she had gone with him, she didn’t realize it was going to mean a lot of bar hopping. It sounded a little bad without the context, but the context wasn’t much better. Noa liked to find the people that openly denounced benders. More often than not, those people were in bars. Either the drink had loosened their tongues, and that was why they were speaking out, or they had recently experienced an injustice and felt the need to share their plight with the rest of the village.

She sighed and slid down the wall to sit on the ground. She was tired and hungry, but she doubted Noa would be moving for a while. He seemed pretty focused. She’d probably slip out to get food soon. Maybe she’d bring him something? What would he want though—

The door at the front of the bar blew off its hinges and into the crowd. The door was on fire.

Immediately, before anyone really had a chance to process things, Sen was grabbing the back of Noa’s shirt and dragging him out the back door. She could hear the ensuing chaos behind her but she was more worried about making sure he didn’t do anything stupid. He had a habit of staying in a conflict until Sen dragged him out of one. It was dangerous and ridiculous. Noa didn’t fight her.

Once they were a few blocks away from the bar, and Sen couldn’t see the smoke drifting above the rooftops, she and Noa stopped. He had already begun to rant.

“…oppressed. Can’t even speak up about it! It’s nothing but tyranny and abuse and—”

“Noa.”

He looked to her for a moment and went back to pacing. “Thank you.” He paused, “You hungry?”

She shook her head. “Not anymore. Can we just keep going?”

“Yeah.”

——

Noatak plopped backwards onto the pile of hay and Sen slumped next to him. They were both exhausted, and the hay was better than the ground.

It had been the first snow of winter, and although both of them had grown up in the snow and were used to the manner in which it should be traversed, it was still exhausting. Higher steps, heavier clothes, longer time for the same distance. It was a list of little grievances that just kept growing.

They hadn’t wanted to sleep on the ground, and they were both thanking the spirits when they stumbled upon the little barn. It was a little drafty, but significantly better than being outside in the elements.

He watched as Sen reached into their food pack and pulled loose one of their ration packs. For whatever reason, she enjoyed packing their food in little go-packs. If they had extra dried meat or fruits, she would wrap them into little single-serve portions for a later day. She claimed it was so they wouldn’t have to cook every meal. He had teased her about the habit several times, but he was always glad when they had them. He was especially glad right now, because he didn’t think either of them had the energy to make a fresh meal.

Although he could feel the weariness down to his bones, sleep wouldn’t come. He probably laid there for an hour before he finally spoke up.

“Sen, are you awake?”

He heard a groan and the rustle of hay as she rolled over.

“I am now.”

“Got any new stories you want to try out?”

He could tell the minute she jerked to full awareness. She really did love her stories, and she took any opportunity he gave her to tell them. He actually thought she was pretty good at it, and the ones she made up on the fly always impressed him.

“Yes! Ok, I heard this one the other day when we were passing through that town near the river…”

——

Sen stepped into the small bookstore, doing her best to stamp off the snow on her boots. The woman behind the counter gave a sigh of exasperation and Sen gave her a sheepish look. She walked further into the bookstore and towards the shelves near the back labeled ‘Non-Fiction’. Knowing Noatak, he was going to want something relevant, and probably borderline anarchist. Shopping for him was always so much fun. Not that she’d really done it before.

She only had the extra money because of a very weird interaction with an old lady the day before. She and Noa had split to pick up some more supplies, and to see if she could nab a couple wallets. She had gotten good enough she didn’t need him as lookout anymore. Anyway, she had been sizing up this older man, and was in the process of picking his pockets when out of nowhere this short old woman grabbed her by the scruff. She was strong for her age, and immediately Sen knew she had been caught. Apparently she wasn’t as good as she though she was.

The woman dragged her towards a nearby bench, sat her down, and began to lecture Sen. By the end of it, she was feeling incredibly cowed, and the old woman was offering her work. Or, a days work. It boiled down to this: she helped the old woman run errands, the old woman paid her the amount she would have gotten stealing that man’s wallet. All in all, Sen wasn’t overly disappointed in the deal. It was better than being turned into the authorities, and at the end of the day, the woman gave her more than promised.

After Noa had finished scolding her for being caught, he had burst into hysterical laughter. Sen was less pleased.

But oh well. It left her with some extra spending money, and she figured getting Noa a gift might be kind of fun. They didn’t really carry anything but the necessities with them, but she figured one interesting book couldn’t hurt. Maybe it would give him something to do other than sit and listen to people’s grievances.

——

Noatak looked down at the cover of ‘The Revolutionary’. It was a small book. A red, leather bound cover, the title in faded gold embossing. He just stared at it for a little bit, trying to puzzle out what it was, and why Sen had given it to him. She seemed to understand the confused look on his face, and spoke up.

“It’s a book all about the theoretical way to run a revolution! The lady at the bookstore said its super controversial, and they don’t sell copies unless you ask. It was anonymously published, but the theory is it was written by a non-bender in the aftermath of the Genocide. I thought you’d be interested!”

“It’s different. I’ll give you that.” He turned it over in his hands and opened it up. He skimmed through a few pages, and already his interest was piqued. It was written very logically and straight forward. No extra flowery language or fluff. “Thank you.”

She beamed at him from her side of the fire. “I’m glad you like it. Can I read it when you’re done?”

He made a noise of confirmation, and turned back to the book. Opening to the first page, he began to read.

——

Noa was engrossed in his new book all the time. He was reading it in their free time, marking pages, underlining text, making notes in the margins. In fact, he was already re-reading it. Sen was incredibly pleased. Her gift had gone over well, but at this point she had given up on the chance of ever reading it. Noa seemed very attached to it at the moment, and Sen wasn’t that bothered anyway. She preferred her books as fiction.

Still, sometimes she wondered what the book said. A couple times now, Noa had started a conversation with her, and without the source material, it was hard for her to follow along. They were always weird conversations too. Always theoretical, always about leading a revolution. Which was fine. That’s what the book was about anyways. Still, she was pretty sure she had sent him down a, very different thought process, by giving him that book. Some days she weighed it as a good thing, some days she weighed it as a thing to be wary of.

Today it was weighing as something to be wary of.

They were stopped in another little town, except they were staying for a couple days this time.The weather had gotten worse, and the snow was a little to deep to risk the road at this point. They had found an innkeeper who was willing to let them work in the kitchen for board, and everything was working out well.

Or it had been. They didn’t know about the gang when they had decided to stay.

It wasn’t much of a gang anyway. It was five people with a strong grip over a village of two hundred.

The five people consisted of a fire-bender, three earth-benders, and a water-bender.

To say Noa was mad was and understatement.

They had been in the village a total of one day before contact was made with the gang, and it went something like this:

Sen was out collecting groceries for the inn keeper. She saw a small business being accosted by the gang and immediately rushed back to the inn to report what she had seen. The inn keeper cowered, and then prepared a ‘protection’ payment. When the gang showed up to collect payment, she and Noa stayed in the kitchen, peering out the door and eavesdropping the entire time. The gang collected their payment and left.

After that, other shopkeepers and townspeople began to trickle into the inn’s tavern. As they listened, it became apparent that this had been in issue for some months now, and the townspeople didn’t see it stopping anytime soon. Even she was frustrated by the injustice and abuse this village was suffering. The little bending gang was treating the rest of the village like second-rate citizens, and everyone was too afraid to do anything.

This is when she weighed the book's ideas as something to be wary of: She could feel Noa growing more and more frustrated, and that was normal. Striding to the front of the room, and pulling all the attention onto himself? That was not. She and Noa made it a habit to avoid all types of recognition. They did not begin discussing the merits of a mob!

And that was what he was doing! All Sen could muster was a look of shock. The worst part, Noa was an amazing motivational speaker. He had used it before with her, when she had weighed a day as exhausting or draining. He had talked her into better moods and better spirits. Now he was using that ability to incite a riot!

She believed in the cause, what he believed in, what these people seemed to believe in. She was tried of being stepped on by benders, of running from them because that’s all she could do, but sometimes, she wondered if there wasn’t a peaceful way to do it. To even the scales and balance the power on both sides.

A riot would not have been her first choice, but here she was, watching one come together with nothing but the words of Noatak and the grievances of this village.

Two days later, when the gang returned, they were driven away by a mob of two hundred angry and exhausted people.

She and Noatak moved on, and years later, Sen would mark this moment as the ‘beginning’. She wasn’t sure what had begun yet, or where it would grow and how far it would reach, but she knew this was its start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, also little explanatory side note:  
> The whole scene with the book? Totally me just inserting Machiavelli's The Prince, into ATLA. I'm supposed to be writing a book report on it rn, but I'm doing this instead. Hehe. Hope you liked this latest chapter though!


	10. Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! I hope everyone had a good holiday and stuff! Excited for this chapter, hope you like, I like constructive criticism, off we go. I also have an unfortunate note at the end, so there's that.

_AG 161_

Sen peered out at the small crowd. There were probably fifty people total, not as many as last time but a relatively decent size. Noa was still speaking, but his speeches all ran along the same lines, and she had them all memorized at this point. He was good though, and she could see the motivation in the eyes at the front of the crowd.

This was their third ‘discussion’ this month, and she new Noa already had one more planned. She was hoping they’d get a break after that. Spring was turning to summer, and although she liked to be warm, she really disliked the summer temperatures. It was always muggy and warm and yuck. She really didn’t like summer.

She surveyed the crowd again. She could see the majority of it, but they couldn’t see her. Noa was situated on a tavern stage and she had hidden herself behind a support beam. Noa may have liked the attention now, but she was still wary of it.

Noa was wrapping his speech to a close when Sen saw the movement in the crowd. Someone was pushing their way to the front, a teenager their age, and he didn’t look happy. That was normal. There were always people, benders usually, who were bothered by Noatak’s opinions. No one had actually confronted them yet, like this kid seemed to be planning.

Sen stepped out from behind the post and stalked the kid with her eyes. He was standing at the front of the crowd now glaring at Noa, but he made no move forward so Sen only watched, muscles tense. Honestly, there wasn’t really much she could do in this situation, other than tackle the boy.

She had to tackle the boy.

It was not fun.

She had thought things would be peaceful when the boy hadn’t moved for a while. She’d been wrong. Just as Noa was sharing his parting words, the boy acted. A rock appeared in his hand and then it was soaring towards Noa’s face. His reflexes were fast, and she knew he had probably dodged it, but she was already moving.

She and the boy hit the floor with a thud.

The crowd panicked. The majority rushed out the door, and a few stayed to take the boy by the arms and drag him off. Sen let out a sigh and plopped back against the floor, arms and legs spread out like a starfish. The room was empty now, save Noa who had scrambled over.

He wasn’t outright panicked, he’d gotten a really good poker face, but his movements were stilted and jerky.

“Are you stupid? Why’d you tackle him?”

Sen’s eye twitched. She turned her head to face Noa and mustered the best glare she could.

“Alright yeah, stupid question.” He looked a little sheepish now. “Are you okay though? You’re not hurt?”

She shook her head, sat up, and Noa took her hand to lift her off the floor.

——

Sen identified an issue one month later.

People were recognizing Noa’s face.

Granted, that was to be expected. He was making public speeches, open to anyone who knew where to go. What she hadn’t really expected nor thought about, was the risks that could bring.

Three times Noatak had been recognized. Once, with admiration, twice with irritation and threats. Noa didn’t seem particularly bothered, seeing as neither of the two encounters had been with benders, but Sen realized it was only a matter of time.

That’s why she was here, at the market, standing in front of a stall that sold masks. The idea had actually come to her one village back, when she’d heard a new story.

She didn’t usually like stories about benders, but it sounded like Fire Lord Zuko’s teenage years had been very interesting. Rumor had it, he used to run around the Earth Kingdom, face covered by a theater mask. It was just hearsay and gossip, but the story and the idea had both interested Sen.

It would probably be a good idea if Noa started wearing a mask during his speeches, although she wasn’t quite sure if he was going to like the idea yet.

They’d also need to come up with a reason for the mask. She had a feeling people wouldn’t take as well to a faceless speaker.

She looked at the masks, trying to decide which would be best. There were the typical theater masks, and a few traditional festival masks, but they were all very flashy. They would draw attention away from what Noa was saying, and that wasn’t the point.

She caught the vendor’s attention. “Do you have any blank ones?Or something very simple?”

The vendor looked a little confused, but nodded. “I’ve got a few that I haven’t painted yet. Would that do?”

Sen’s mouth curved into a smile. “Perfect.”

——

“Alright, spit it out. What’s with the face?”

Sen was sitting across from him, warming her hands by the fire and grinning like a mad-man. She had been for the last thirty minutes, and Noatak found it equally funny and creepy.

She smirked again and whirled to the side to open her pack. She ruffled around and then re-emerged with a wrapped bundle. She stood up and crossed to his side of the fire. She handed him the bundle before sitting down.

“I’ve got something for you, but it requires an explanation first.”

He raised an eyebrow and motioned for her to continue.

“Ok, so you know how you’ve been recognized a couple times?” He nodded. “It hasn’t been bad yet, but if you keep preaching revolution to the masses, someone is going to do something drastic.”

He nodded again, a little less enthusiastic.

“Alright so this might help keep that from happening.” She pointed to the unopened bundle in his lap.

Taking hold of the twine that kept it wrapped, he pulled. The cloth fell away to show a blank, white porcelain mask. Red strings were attached to the sides, where it would tie around his head, and the face of the mask was shaped in a smirk.

Ah. Now he understood where she was going with this.

“You want me to hide my face.”

“Yes. I think it’s the safer option in the long run, and I know you probably won’t like it, but it’ll make me feel better and—”

“Sen. I think it’s a smart idea. Thank you.”

And just like that, he watched her go from rambling to beaming.

“How do we explain it though, if someone asks?”

Her smile dropped again. “Ah, I meant to bring that up. I’m not quite sure yet, but I figured we could come up with a story.”

“A story.”

“Yes.”

He nodded his head. It was a good idea.

“Do you have one in mind?”

She got a little sheepish, and he had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer.

“Potentially.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I got the idea for the mask from a story... about Fire Lord Zuko, and—”

Noatak sighed, and Sen turned indignant.

“Listen here, Noatak! I came up with a good idea, and I understand you don’t like benders! I don’t either, but I’m giving you a chance to turn this in your favor!” He gulped and nodded. “Good. I was trying to say, there’s rumors that Fire Lord Zuko used to run around the Earth Kingdom wearing a mask to hide his scar.”

She looked at him and gestured towards his face, and Noatak realized what she was saying. He leapt up and grabbed her by the shoulders, smile wide. “You’re brilliant Sen! This’ll work!”

“Of course it will. We have to flesh out the story first though.”

He nodded and they both sat down by the fire to brainstorm. Not long after, they finally climbed into their bedrolls, but sleep wouldn’t come for Noatak. His mind was racing with the possibilities. Things were moving in the right direction, all he had to do was keep up the momentum.

——

Two weeks later, both Noatak and Sen felt confident in the story they had fabricated. They decided that the next speech would use both the story and the mask, and Sen began to count down the days. Noa’s speeches were never really planned, per say. It was more like they waited until they found a town they thought would be receptive.

Noa thought that was basically any town.

Sen was a little more hesitant, but she believed in what Noa was saying, and if he thought his words would work, she wasn’t going to stop him.

And besides that development, Noa had started referring to these speeches as rallies. She had openly questioned him on that one. The word had negative connotations when taking into account the content of Noa’s speeches, but he had been firm in his decision. She wasn’t encouraged by that change, but she couldn’t do much about it, other than refuse to call them rallies herself.

When Noa finally decided on the next town for his ‘reveal’ speech, Sen was just glad to get it over with. She had psyched herself up, and it would be a relief when they could move on. The speech itself was the same, except for the beginning. Noa opened his speech by sharing his ‘story’ with the audience.

It was the middle of summer in the middle of the Earth Kingdom, and that meant Noa was speaking in a public park, and she was incredibly uncomfortable. She was sitting in the shade of a tree, like most of the crowd, but situated off to the side so she could watch their reactions. She did that a lot for Noa, and it had been important in the beginning. She would see reactions and then help Noa fine tune his speeches. Now, she was watching reactions to the mask and story.

It was going over really well. Everyone was paying rapt attention, and she could see the fire in their eyes. The crowd was incensed on Noa’s behalf. It was working, almost better than a normal speech. She could see as more people trickled into the park, twos and threes, and then suddenly the crowd was doubling in size. Sen could only watch in shock. The biggest an audience Noa had ever had was that very first village.

There were still stragglers showing up when Noa finally drew his speech to a close. It had run almost double the time it usually did, and Sen had a feeling Noatak was motivated by the captive audience.

When he began to walk off the little outdoor stage, the crowd erupted into questions. That was to be expected. Usually he just ignored them, but she watched as he froze on stage, a question hanging in the air.

“What’s your name!”

It was a shout from the middle of the crowd, audible over the noise, and then everyone was parroting the question and Sen was watching Noa panic.

——

Noatak’s once confident steps ground to a halt.

The mask and story had gone off without a hitch. He could see it in the eyes of the crowd, but this, what was he supposed to do about this? How could they have forgotten about something like this? They had a mask and a story, but not once had they thought a name might be important?

He was still reeling when he saw Sen bound up onto the stage. When she grabbed his hand and started running, he didn’t fight her.

The question was still being echoed behind them, but no one made any move to chase.

They ran for about ten minutes before Sen finally stopped in a quiet part of town. Immediately she pulled the ties on the back of his head and ripped off the mask, wrapping it in her discarded cloak. They both took gasping breaths in the warm summer air, and then finally wandered their way into the shade.

“Spirits, we’re stupid.”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe we forgot a name.”

“Mhm.”

He could feel the glare she turned on him. “Do you have anything helpful to offer?”

“Pick a name?”

She groaned at his response, and Noatak watched as she slumped against the wall.

“We need a list of names. Ones with some kind of meaning.” She nodded her head and he kept going. “The name is a crucial part of this movement. It has to be right for the cause.”

“I figured.”

They sat in silence for almost an hour, fanning themselves in the humid summer air. When Sen finally stood up, Noatak followed. They had rented a room at a very cheap inn, and she was leading him in that direction. Except, two blocks before the inn, she turned left down a side street. She came to a stop at a store front, and Noatak lifted his eyes to read the sign. It was a little bookshop, and Sen had just marched inside like she was on a mission.

He followed her, and he was doing a lot of that today, wasn’t he. He stood in the doorway and watched as she marched up to the shopkeep. A few sentences passed between them before the shopkeeper stepped out from behind the counter and led Sen over to a bookshelf.

The shopkeep slipped a book off the shelf, Sen laid some money on the counter, and then she grabbed his arm on the way out.

“What’s that?”

“I’ll show you once we get to the inn.”

She marched them down the next two blocks at a brisk pace, and when they finally reached the inn, she walked up the stairs without a second glance. Their room was on the third floor, tucked away in the corner and about the size of a storage closet. Or, not really, but it felt like it with the two of them in the single room. There was only one bed, so the two of them had been alternating who slept on the floor. It was her turn that night, so when Sen threw open the door to the room, she immediately flopped down on her bedroll.

His feet brought him to the edge of her bedroll, and then he stopped to look at her.

“So what did you buy?”

She sat up and handed him the book.

“It’s a lore dictionary. Specifically a version focused on old names. It should have a long list of names with all of their meanings.” She shrugged. “At least that’s what the shopkeeper said.”

“Huh.” He sat backwards on the edge of the bed and skimmed through a few pages in the book. “There’s a lot of names.”

“Gives us some options, I guess.”

“Yeah.”

She pulled herself off the floor and sat next to him on the bed. For the next thirty minutes or so, they poured over some of the names, skipping around the book in search of one they deemed suitable.

They continued like this until Noatak heard Sen’s stomach rumble, his echoing not long after. He stood and stretched, and then offered to go get food from the small market down the road. He needed a break. Sen only nodded in affirmative and then returned her attention to the book. She seemed to be enjoying this a lot more than he was.

With one last look at Sen, he wandered out the door and down the steps. The market was only half a block away, and although evening was only an hour or so away, the market was still bustling.

He stopped at two vendors: a fruit vendor and a pastry vendor. He grabbed a few apples and a pear for himself, and three red bean buns. Sen liked to get the pastry whenever they could afford it, and he knew she hadn’t had any in a while.

Walking back to the inn, he had only just made it up the first flight of stairs when he was knocked into the wall by a passing tenant. A double take and he recognized who it was.

“Sen? What are you doing?”

The girl whipped around, equally shocked and thrilled.

“Noa! I was just about to come get you!”

“You couldn’t wait for me to get back?”

She shook her head and grabbed his arm on the way back up the stairs.

“No, because I’ve found the perfect name!”

——

Noatak’s next speech began like this:

“My name is Amon, and when I was a child, a fire-bender took my family from me…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really don't think I can make the next update on Jan 10. The next chapter will prob come out the 20th of Jan. I basically have two college apps due on the 10th, and half my final senior project is due the 4th, so I have like zero time to iron out the next chapter. It makes me really mad cause I want to keep to an update schedule but I don't think I'll make that one. Sorry humans. Please still enjoy though. And if I do get the time to finish the chapter, I'll upload it the 10th like planned.
> 
> Thanks for reading my story humans, have a good day!
> 
> Oh, and I almost forgot. I wanted to explain what the Amon name means in the context of my story. I really like names with meaning, so I always do research beforehand. (Sen's name has a meaning too, I've just gotta find where I stored it away.) Anyways, I found a couple different meanings for Amon, but the one I think actually fits best was one I'm pretty sure is kind of unreliable. Like, those baby name sites always seem kinda sketch in the whole accuracy criteria. But back to my explanation, in Red, Amon means faithful or roaring stream. I thought they were perfect. Roaring stream meaning as a throw back to his roots, and faithful, because he is always faithful to the cause (and Sen).
> 
> Sorry this was a really rambly author's note, but I almost forgot to mention it, and I felt it was really important.


	11. Followed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Hello! This chapter is a little bit longer than normal, to help make up for my absence. I really hope you enjoy it. It was a difficult chapter to write, but I think it worked out ok in the end!

_AG 162_

“This oppression can no longer stand! We spend our lives running, turning our backs, because we cannot fight them. We are treated like second class citizens, and second rate people!”

Noatak stood in front of the crowd, smile growing behind his mask. There were a lot of people here today, probably well over three hundred, and the number only kept growing. This was his second planned rally in the last two months, and a differentiation had to be made between these rallies and his others.

Someone had asked for this, asked for his words.

Ever since he and Sen had implemented the new name and back-story, his message had been spreading like wildfire. The Amon persona was being recognized more and more often, and twice now, representatives from villages had asked for his presence.

That was why these last two rallies were different. He and Sen had come to this village, and already prepared was a room at an inn, free food, and a publicized stage. His presence had been advertised, for lack of a better word, and there were more and more people showing up to hear him speak.

Noatak revels in the attention and Amon’s words grow bolder.

Small seeds of dissent are planted and pale eyes watch from the crowd.

——

Sen is waiting for him at the inn. They don’t leave the rallies together anymore, at her request. She had told him she was uncomfortable being recognized by that many people, and he had understood her fears. She had lived her early years trying not to be noticed. He wouldn’t force her into the spotlight now.

“Good job Noa.”

“Thanks.”

Sitting on the table in their room is a fruit platter, and Sen has already pulled out all the oranges for herself. He knows the majority of them will be packed away as emergency rations, and he knows he’ll do the same with the apples. No matter how much free food they get now, both of them still remember being hungry.

He grabs some grapes for himself and sits down at the table while Sen collapses onto the bed. He can see the bags under her eyes, and he knows he sports them too. They are both exhausted, and he has been promising a break for months. He needs to follow through.

“One more rally? You decide.”

Sen lets out a huff before rolling over to face him. “You swear we get a break after this one? Because whether or not you follow me, I’m renting a room for three days, and I won’t be moving at all during that time.”

“Yeah, I swear.” He motioned to the bags under his eyes. “I need a break too.”

“Mhm. You said that last time.”

“Promise. It’s only fair.”

“Yeah, fine. One more rally, and then I want a week’s worth of vacation.”

“Deal.”

——

Sen gets three days of vacation before Noatak starts getting restless. He doesn’t mean too. He had promised her a break, and he’s tired too, but all he can think about is the next rally. He just keeps planning, and slowly, in the back of his mind, he’s forming an idea. Of returning to Republic City, of keeping a promise. But he pushes that away for now.

He feels even worse when on the morning of the fourth day, Sen packs a bag and asks him where they’re going next. To try and make it up to her, he buys her some red bean buns. She eats three in one sitting, and he still doesn’t understand why they’ve become her favorite treat.

The next rally is normal, almost to the point of boring, but Noatak would never admit that. Some part of him is almost ashamed, because he should always be fighting for the rights of non-benders. Nevertheless, he is a little lackluster on the stage today, and he tries to make up for it in length. When he finally draws to a close, he spies Sen, asleep against the side of the stage, hidden from view. He snickers a little at that. At least he isn’t the only one who’s bored.

With his closing remarks said, Noatak steps down off the stage. He halts at Sen’s feet to give her a slight nudge. When he sees that she’s awake, he keeps walking. They try and keep their interactions as Amon and Sen to a minimum.

He meets her again four streets away after he’s taken off the mask. It’s tied to his waist and hidden by his cloak, and it’ll stay there until he can hide it in their room at the inn. They decide to stop in the market on the way back, and he can tell Sen is pleased. She doesn’t like attention, but she loves being in the throng of a crowd. He’s never quite understood that. He prefers standing on the outskirts, or in the front, where he can better lead.

“I’m going to wander. Meet you back at the inn around sundown?”

He nods and watches as she disappears into the crowds, and he stays for just a moment longer. He nicks a pear from a fruit vendor on his way back, and when he reaches the inn he decides to sit in the tavern for a little while. It’s still relatively empty, and it will stay that way for a few more hours yet. He relaxes in his booth. It’s tucked away in the corner with a good view of the doors, and it puts him better at ease when his back is to a wall.

The innkeeper brings over a small bowl of broth and Noatak hands over the necessary coins before he sits back to wait for Sen.

——

Sen is reveling in the marketplace. She is surrounded by bright textiles and fragrant spices, ever so glad that this village is a trade center. Currently, she is spinning around a square with three young children, laughing and smiling to the tune of an old man on his erhu. She hasn’t been this excited in weeks, and it’s having a very relaxing effect, letting go like this. It’s not often she gets to act like a child, and she’s not really a child anymore. She’s sixteen and sometimes she feels twenty, but this day is good, and there isn’t much that can tip the scales otherwise.

When she’s finally exhausted herself, she steps back from the children and gives the old man a few coins as she passes. For the next hour she wanders aimlessly through the market and it’s adjoining streets, but every so often her eyes catch a figure in her peripheral vision. She’s not very worried, it’s a busy market after all, but the persistence of this shadow still unnerves her.

In an attempt to ignore her nerves, she loiters in the crowds and in the busy spaces between stalls. She figured that if she really was being followed, no one would be brazen enough to try anything in the full light of day, surrounded by witnesses.

This assumption is mostly correct.

It is nearing sundown, and Sen had begun the walk back to the inn. She and Noa had only been in this particular village for a day, and she’s never gone back to the inn from this direction. She tried to stay to busy and well populated streets, but the shadow is persistent. She knows she’s being followed, by who or for why, she has no idea. When she makes a wrong turn into a narrow ally, she realizes her mistake.

It’s not a dead-end alley, but its littered with crates and bins, and spirits she hates obstacle courses. Her steps take her faster when she hears the voice from behind.

“Hey! Girl! Hey, I just wanna talk!”

The voice is not kind.

As calmly as possible, she leaps over the first crate.

“Hey, come on! I just wanna meet Amon!”

Her steps grind to halt against her better judgement. This is not what—she knows what can happen to girls on their own—had thought maybe—but this man wants Noa? That’s almost as terrifying a prospect. Why would he think she knows Amon? Had she and Noa not been careful enough? They’d separated that persona from her as best they could. How did this man know?

“I just wanna talk to him!”

She took one glance back at the man— he was short but evidently very muscled, would easily overpower her if caught—and took off at a run. The alley was suddenly so much longer than she first thought, and the next crate took her to the ground. She sprang to her feet, felt the ripped skin of her palms, and took off again. The footsteps behind her had picked up in speed, and she fell twice more before she reached the open street.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, before her body was wrenched away from the alleyway and into the street. A body took position in front of her, and the man chasing her skidded to a halt. Her apparent rescuer was a man, only a little older than her, maybe? It was hard to tell, with his back to her.

“Run.”

Her head swiveled to her human shield. “What?”

“Go before this guy gets anymore ideas.”

“Hey—“

“I wasn’t talking to you!”

Sen only watched in awe, before her brain caught up with her. With a nod to her rescuer, she scurried into the crowds. Two blocks away, and she broke into a full sprint. Her heart was racing and she just wanted to hide at the room in the inn. She didn’t want to think about implications or consequences.

She bumped shoulders with several people, knocked one boy over, and tripped over someones groceries before she caught sight of the inn. She opened the door with more force than necessary, heard it slam into the wall, and zeroed in on Noa.

The adrenaline left her as she stumbled over to Noa, who met her halfway. He tried to ask her questions, but she just dragged him towards the stairs and up to their room. She didn’t want to be in public spaces right now.

“Sen?”

She had dropped herself onto the little couch in their room, Noa in the seat beside her.

“Sen, what happened?”

“Can you take a break? From public speeches? An extended break, maybe stop? I don’t know, but maybe this isn’t a good idea anymore. Maybe we need to find a different way, something not so public—”

“What are you talking about?”

He was reaching forward to grab her hands, and she remembered her palms the same time he saw them.

“Did you fall?”

A slow nod, and she watched him get up to retrieve their first aid kit. It was the same one from the North Pole, although the supplies had been used and refilled. It was one of the few things they still had from that time period.

He sat down next to her, pulling out the antiseptic. “Not that bad. Don’t even need bandages. I’m just going to clean them up.”

She nodded as he continued. He was gentle, cupping her hands and trying not to drag at the torn skin. It was reminiscent of their time at the North Pole, and she wondered if he had made that connection too.

“What happened?”

She didn’t want to answer at first. Her previous outburst had been fear-feuled, and now she felt like a fool. Noa would never stop, and she didn’t want him too. Not really, but she was concerned for their future encounters. If someone thought she knew Amon, did they know Noa’s true identity? How had her pursuer known in the first place?

“Sen?”

“There was a man. He was asking for Amon.”

“That’s happened before—”

She shook her head. “He asked me specifically. Like he was sure I knew. He _was_ sure I knew. He chased me down an alleyway because he was so sure. How could he have known? We’re careful right? How—”

“What do you mean he chased you?”

“He chased me Noa! He followed me all throughout the market, and when I was alone he spoke to me. He wouldn’t stop asking for Amon! If it hadn’t been for the other man, he would have caught me!”

“What ‘other man’?”

——

Noatak listened as Sen explained her encounter in more detail. She had calmed down pretty quickly, but he could see she was still shaken.

On the other hand, he was twitching with repressed anger. He wasn’t just mad with Sen’s pursuer, but with himself. It had become evident that he and Sen hadn’t been careful enough, if people were drawing connections between her and Amon. It meant she was in increasing danger, especially if he ever decided to follow through with his plan. However far-fetched it was.

“I think it would be better if you didn’t come to the next few rallies.”

She was leant against his shoulder, eyes shut and so still he thought she had fallen asleep. He felt it though, when she nodded her head in affirmation.

“We’ll figure something out, okay?”

“Mhm.”

She really was falling asleep now. Her breathing had evened out, and he wasn’t getting much in the way of a response from her. That was good. He figured she’d feel better when she woke up, and it gave him time to think.

He would need to keep a sharper eye. He would be at the following rallies by himself, and if someone was desperate enough to follow Sen, he wouldn’t put it past them to try something at a rally. Besides that, he really needed a plan. Something to work towards, goals and benchmarks, or nothing would ever grow right. In the back of his mind, he had always planned to go back to Republic City. If things changed there, the rest of the Nations would have to follow.

Now he had to figure out how.

——

Noatak and Sen fell asleep on the couch, and the next morning they packed their bags and moved on. For the next two weeks, they traveled. Noatak didn’t make any speeches in that time. He figured some of the heat might die down if he disappeared for a while. It helped Sen too. She seemed less stressed and high-strung. It didn’t last.

Noatak couldn’t just drop the message all together, so Amon re-emerged. Sen didn’t go to the rallies, and Amon didn’t stay in any inns. He showed up, gave his speech, and then disappeared.

His third rally after re-appearing, he noticed the shadow. Or, not really. Four rallies in, he noticed the figure that followed him, and looking back, the shadow had been at the previous rallies too. It was disheartening, and a little worrying. Sen hadn’t started going to the rallies again yet, and now it was going to stay that way.

He wasn’t going to tell Sen about the follower either, except she noticed his mounting unease, and weaseled the answer out of him. She agreed to stay away from the rallies, so long as he was careful. She made him promise, and he attempted to keep it.

Except that was proving to be difficult. Mainly on his own part.

At his seventh rally, he was approached by a representative. This representative came from a smaller province in the Earth Kingdom, but he wanted Amon to give a speech in several different villages while he was there.

This representative wasn’t just representing a village, but an entire province.

Amon couldn’t say no.

Noatak denied the offer of room and board, agreed to the payment of a small sum, promised his presence, and disappeared into the crowd.

He told Sen of the development as soon as they met up. She seemed relatively pleased, and they agreed to head towards the province early so they’d have time to get their bearings.

Amon’s first two speeches in the province went well. His shadow reappeared on the third.

Noatak was reaching his limit with the shadow, and had already classified the figure as a potential threat. The fact that it was still following him around, meant it needed to be dealt with. Amon was meant to give a total of seven speeches within the province.

He had four chances to catch his follower.

——

Sen woke up to sunshine leaking past the curtains of their inn room. She felt rested, and excited for the day. It would be Noa’s last speech in this province, and although she liked sleeping on a real bed, she missed life on the road. The last two-and-a-half weeks had been the longest time they had stayed somewhere since, well, since Taka.

She sat up in bed and stretched, looking to the floor where Noa’s bedroll was…empty? She was usually the first one up. She listened for a moment, wondering if maybe he was in the bathroom, but only silence greeted her. She stood up, stretching once more, before noticing a slip of paper in the middle of their table. She recognized Noa’s neat handwriting as her eyes scanned the words.

_Sen, Stay at the inn today. I’ll come get you after the rally, but do not leave before that._

It was succinct, to the point, and incredibly suspicious.

Noatak was up to something.

What tipped her off was the ordered statement. In the four years she had known him, he had ordered her, maybe twice? The point was, he didn’t do it unless he felt they were both in immediate danger.

What was the danger then?

She knew about the shadow, but they had been taking precautions. It was the entire reason she didn’t go to his speeches anymore. Instead, she spent her time wandering villages and marketplaces, learning new stories, and indulging in street performers. What was suddenly so dangerous, Noa would order her to stay in for the day?

She sighed, letting the paper drift back to the table. There was nothing to do at the inn. Absolutely nothing. There wasn’t even a tavern at this inn. She was basically confined to the room.

She was able to distract herself for two hours.

Noa didn’t need to know she was out. His speech was probably just starting, and at their shortest, they were an hour. She could pop by the marketplace for some pastries, and be back before he even returned.

That had been the plan at least.

She had picked up some red-bean buns, and was getting ready to head back to the inn, when she caught sight of a young woman playing the tsungi horn. She wouldn’t have normally been so distracted, but she was looking for an excuse to avoid going back to the inn, and it wasn’t often she saw a tsungi horn used by street performers.

A crowd was gathering to watch the woman, and Sen was able to find a seat on a nearby well. She ate her snack while she listened to the performer, and she must have been sitting there for almost an hour before she abruptly lost focus.

A gap had opened in the crowd, and in the brief second where she could see the other end of the street, she saw the mask of Amon, followed by another figure. Before she could confirm that it was, in fact, Noa, the crowd pulled together. Her line of sight lost, Sen immediately stood up and began marching in the direction she had last seen Noa.

If the figure following him was really the same shadow that had been following them for months?

Sen broke into a run.

——

Amon walked with a purpose, his footsteps even and sure. He could see his follower out of the corner of his eye, and he was determined to catch him this time. Three times now, he had attempted to catch the shadow. The first time had been a colossal failure, and so had the second, but the third time he had caught a glimpse of the shadow’s figure. He wanted answers before he went back to get Sen. He needed to know if they were both safe.

He took a left into a familiar alley, ducking behind the stack of crates he had scouted the day previous. When his pursuer rounded the corner, he sprang at the larger man, shoving him against the opposing wall, his arm against the man’s throat.

His pursuer was tall, pale eyes, and the beginnings of a mustache on his upper lip. He looked unbothered by his predicament, and Noatak sneered under his mask. Pitching his voice as low as he could, he spoke.

“Who are you, and what do you want?”

“I’m here to help.”

Noatak scoffed, pushing harder on the man’s throat.“What do you want!”

“I told you already—”

Noatak slammed his other hand into the wall next to the man’s head, before pulling it to his waist to unsheathe one of the khukri. He had strapped it to his waist this morning, determined to be armed if trouble arose. “I don’t believe you! So answer me, what do you want!”

The man’s face finally changed, and Noatak watched as it morphed into a blank slate. “You really don’t want to do that. I told you, I’m here to help you.”

Noatak wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but he knew he was going to regret his next actions. This man had been following him for much to long, and if he had to kill— except he couldn’t. Not really. He never had, because the North Pole had been different— it didn’t matter. He had to keep Sen and himself safe. He couldn’t stop being Amon, not now, when he could feel the possibilities boiling beneath the surface of every rally. He could do this, keep his promise.

No more running. They could stop running.

It was Amon who lifted the khukri, not Noatak, but his split second of indecision left him vulnerable. The man surged forward, grabbing his arm and wrenching it behind his back. He tried to move in retaliation, remember Taka’s lessons, but he could only fumble in desperation. It was only by chance that his leg slipped out far enough to trip the man.

They both went crashing to the ground, the khukri kicked far out of either man’s reach. Suddenly, it was a fight to see who would land on top, and Noatak was running on desperation and adrenaline.

The man he was fighting knew what he was doing. Or, at least knew more about active fighting than Noatak. Noatak, on the other hand, had never really learned to fight. Not with Taka, and his father—his father hadn’t taught him how to fight. Only manipulate. And that was something he hadn’t done since that night at the North Pole, something he never wanted to do again.

Except, his opponent flipped him onto his face, pinned him down— “I just want to talk!” — and then Noatak wasn't really in control anymore. He could feel the pathways, the veins, in the man, where it flowed and how it flowed, and he could feel when it momentarily changed directions, weakening the man for just a split second. Suddenly, Noatak was on top, equal parts angry and scared, hadn’t really been scared for years now, and his hand was scrabbling for anything sharp or blunt, because this man was dangerous, a danger to him, and his dream, and Sen, Sen—

Who he could see, twenty feet away, at the entrance of the alley, face red, chest heaving, and screaming—

“Noa!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, quick question: Is anyone getting bored by the fact the story isn't to canon timeline yet? I believe completely in fully fleshed out relationships and healthy buildup, and canon left so much room for speculation on Noatak's 'missing years'. 
> 
> Anyway, have a good day everyone!


	12. Balen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! How are ya'll doin today? Semi happy with this chapter? Kinda TBD honestly, but I'm getting excited for future events and stuff. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Sen froze in the opening of the alley, terrified by the sight before her.

It was Noatak, her mind tried to rationalize, but all she could see was the faceless, smirking mask of Amon, fist raised to beat the man pinned below him.

“Noa, don’t!”

Her feet pressed forward, she boxed away the images—deal with them later, maybe never— and assessed the situation as quickly as she could. The man Noa had pinned wasn’t struggling anymore, merely tense and still. Noa was still ready for a fight, she could tell, but he had dropped his hand. She looked down as her foot caught on one of their khukri, and that was not good. Noatak had come armed and prepared? Was this why he had asked her to stay at the inn? Because he was planning on fighting this man?

She looked again, and realized she recognized the man pinned flat in the dirt. It was the same man who had saved her a month ago. Why was he here? They had traveled miles since that incident. It couldn’t have been coincidence.

Was this man their shadow?

She was almost positive he was, but she’d have to assess that later. She stepped forward slowly, approaching Noa. She wondered at his face. Was he scared, or angry? Had his face fallen into that blank look, like the North Pole? Could this have been like the North Pole, if she hadn’t found them? Could he have lived with that?

It didn’t matter right now, so she pushed it aside.

She had reached Noa by now, and she stretched out her hand to his shoulder. Upon touching him, he jolted as if shocked, and slowly looked up.

“Noa, come on. Get off him.”

She watched him shake his head. “No. He’s been following us for so long, and I’ve caught him this time.”

_This time?_ That was another thing she’d have to deal with then. Sen shifted her attention to the man in the dirt. It was definitely her ‘human shield’. He had saved her, that day, and she was thankful, but he had followed them, and that still needed to be addressed.

“Noa, please let him go. I recognize him. He’s the man who helped me, remember?” Noa shifted a little, and Sen pushed onward. “He helped me, I help him. Equal trade, right?”

She looked again at the man, and found him already looking at her. Spirits, she hoped he would play along.

“Noa, let him go.”

There was a long pause, before Noa finally stood. The ‘human shield’ waited a moment longer before standing, and taking a step back. For a moment, Sen thought he would run. Instead, he spoke.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to help you.”

Sen assumed there had been some kind of yelled conversation before she arrived.

“What could you possibly help us with?”

Huh. She hadn’t noticed it before, but Noa’s voice was lower than normal.

“You’re being followed—”

“By you!—”

“No. There have been others. I’ve been keeping them from you for a while.”

Sen felt a shiver crawl down her spine. This was one of her fears come to life. Why were they having this conversation in a dark alleyway? In the open where someone could find them? She should have grabbed the khukri, which was still laying in the dust. She had had bigger priorities at the time, and now she regretted it. “Why don’t we have this conversation somewhere else.”

The man nodded in agreement, but Noa stayed still.

“You could come back to the inn with us—”

“No. He doesn’t need to know where we are.”

“Noa, he’s been following us for weeks. I don’t think it matters at this point.”

“I don’t care—”

The man spoke up again, and Sen and Noa refocused their attention. “I don’t care where we have our conversation. If it eases your nerves, you pick the location.”

She waited for Noa’s response, and when he finally came up with a solution, it was’t a bad one.

“There’s a pavilion, on the edge of the village green. Start walking, we’ll follow behind you.”

“If that’s what it takes—”

“It is. Now go.”

——

Noatak kept his eyes glued forward, gait stiff, hands in tense fists by his side. Sen was walking next to him, but he didn’t dare take his eyes of the man in front of them.

“How many times have you tried to catch him?”

“This is four.”

“You didn’t tell me.”

“I was trying to keep you safe, and uninvolved.”

He could hear the scoff before it actually left her mouth. “I’m involved now.”

“Yes.”

The rest of the walk to the pavilion passed in uncomfortable silence. He could tell she was mad, and he deserved a little of that anger at least. He had been trying to keep her safe, but maybe he should have told her. He’d have to mull it over later.

He could see the pavilion in the distance.

It was empty at this time of day, and he watched the man settle onto one of the benches. He and Sen followed, sitting on the bench opposite. Noatak wasn’t sure how to start this conversation anymore. In fact, he didn’t want to have a conversation at all, but he needed answers if he and Sen had any hope of being safe.

“Lets start with names? I’m Sen.”

Oh. That was one way to start a conversation.

“Balen. Should I address you as Amon, or Noa?”

And that cat was already out of the bag. He didn’t think he could sweep that away.

“Noa. Why have you been following us?”

“Look, I told you earlier. You’ve had several different groups of people try and follow you in the span of four months. I’ve been able to run off most of them.”

“How?”

“Break a cart wheel, start a fight, distract them. Different things that get them off topic. The majority give up when they loose track of you.”

“I meant, how have you been able to follow us for so long? How have all those other people been able to follow us?”

“Her.”

Noatak immediately tensed, his face falling into an expressionless slate.

“What?”

The man, Balen, reached forward toward Sen, hand outstretched. Noatak moved before he could think it over, grabbing Balen’s wrist in a crushing grip. He stopped moving and brought his other hand up in surrender.

“Hey, alright, sorry.” Noatak released his grip and Balen sat back down. Sen piped up from her seat beside him.

“What do you mean I’m the reason?”

Balen sighed and then tapped the center of his forehead with two fingers. “This. Whatever it is, it’s very distinct. If people are paying attention, they can spot you at rallies, or in towns, always at the same time as Amon…”

Noatak could hear him talking, knew he was explaining in further depth to Sen, but all Noatak could do was freeze. This was his fault. All his fault. He had given her that mark, placed it on her, and he didn’t know if he could ever get rid of it. He hadn’t dared to try, in fear that it might reverse something he had done at the North Pole. His fault, been followed because of his mistake—

“Noa.” It was said in a hushed tone, accompanied by a hand on his arm and a gentle squeeze.

“I’m fine.”

“Did you hear what Balen said?”

He shook his head.

“He’d like to travel with us.”

——

Sen was anticipating the answer before it even came.

“Absolutely not.”

She really hadn’t been expecting any different answer, and maybe she would have agreed with him, if not for the fact she liked Balen. He had been very calm throughout the entire situation, even when Noa had him pinned. He had saved her before, and a small part of her thought he was like Taka. It was probably their mannerisms, but Balen reminded Sen of the first person to offer her a helping hand.

She really missed Taka sometimes.

“It’s not a bad idea, Noa. He’s already proved he can help—”

“I don’t trust him—”

“I’m not expecting you too!” She heaved a sigh. “Can you trust me? We could, we could have a trial period. He can travel with us for a few weeks.”

Noa was quiet for a long time, head hung low towards his lap. He lifted his head towards Balen.

“I’ll give you a decision tomorrow. Meet here at nine. If my answer is no, I don’t want to see your shadow ever again.”

Balen seemed to think it over, and Sen held her breath. If Balen agreed, it gave Sen an entire twelve hours to convince Noa. She could do it. It would be fine!

“Alright. Tomorrow, nine.”

Noa gave a nod of affirmation, and she watched as Balen stood and left. She and Noa watched as he wandered into the crowds and disappeared. They sat for another ten minutes before Noa stood and began walking back towards the inn. Neither spoke, and it stayed that way until they reached the privacy of their room. Immediately, Noa tore off the mask and threw it across the room.

Sen watched as he paced the room, swearing and cursing, before picking up his mask. It looked undamaged, which was good. She didn’t think she’d be able to find a replacement.

“…my fault. All my fault. Followed, in danger, because I couldn’t—couldn’t…”

Sen listened to Noa’s mumbling and quickly became confused. She had thought he might be a little cold, a little angry. She didn’t think he would be blaming himself. Why was he blaming himself? She stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder, leading him towards the couch.

“Noa, how can this be your fault? I’m the reason people have been able to follow us. If anything, it’s my fault—”

“No. No, because I gave you that mark. I’m the reason you have it, and I don’t think I can get rid of it. I’m sorry—”

Oh. That wasn’t something he had done before. He had never seemed to care about the mark. In fact, she thought they both just ignored it, forgot about it.

She threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. “Noa, it’s fine, really. I don’t blame you. You saved me. This is proof of all the good you can do.” She let him go and leaned back to see his face. “It’s not a big deal, really. Alright?”

When he finally nodded his head, she sat back all the way. Her body sagged into the couch. She was exhausted. Today had been an incredibly long day, and spirits, it wasn’t over yet, was it? She still had to convince Noa to let Balen travel with them.

“What if we had someone around, who could help. Balen has already dissuaded multiple people, saved me. Isn’t he the kind of person you want helping you?”

She turned her head. Noa looked just as drained as she did, head lolled back against the wall behind them.

“There’s a lot of liability, in trusting another person. Especially with our secrets, with Amon.”

Her head fell onto his shoulder. “We don’t have to tell him about Amon. We can keep that between us, but can’t we give him a chance? I want to be able to trust other people. Can’t we let this be the start?”

——

Noatak let out a groan of boredom as he rolled onto his side. Sen was leant next to him, looking just as dreary, Balen not far away. They had been one week into Balen’s trial-run when the weather turned south. The rain came in heavy sheets, and with the loss of visibility they had decided to find cover. Balen was the one to spot the old shed. It was leaky and drafty, but much better that being completely at the mercy of the elements.

Already, they had been stranded for two hours. Noa’s face was getting itchy where the mask had been sitting for too long, and he was in a generally foul mood.

“What do the two of you do in situations like this?”

Balen had shifted to face the two of them, and Noatak let Sen answer.

“Um, I tell stories, Noa reads.” She paused, “Sometimes we play Pai Sho? Not very often though.”

“You have a Pai Sho set?”

He could feel Sen’s wince of embarrassment, and saved her the trouble. “Not really.It’s homemade. Nothing official, that’s for sure.”

“Do you have it with you?”

Sen turned to him and he nodded, motioning towards his pack. “In there. Near the bottom in the tin. The mat should be along the side of the bag.”

He watched her hop up to grab the set. She looked excited, and he figured that was better than boredom. He settled back against the wall of the shed, closing his eyes in an attempt to sleep. He wondered how this game between Sen and Balen would go. Neither of them had bothered to learn the real rules after they left the North Pole.

It was silent for about ten minutes, and then, “What are you doing?”

“Moving my piece.”

“But, that’s not a legal move.”

“Who said we were using your rules.”

“What do you mean _my_ rules? They’re the universal Pai Sho rules.”

“Yeah, but my rules are more fun.”

“You’re just justifying your cheating.”

“Noa plays this way too.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.”

The mask hid Noatak’s grin.

——

“I want to cut my hair.”

Sen was kneeling at the edge of a small pond, head bent over its surface, looking at her reflection. Her hair was getting long. She hadn’t cut it since Republic City, and that had been more of a trim. Now, her hair reached to her lower back. Life on the road wasn’t kind to long hair, and she was tired of the constant hassle.

“Then cut it.”, was Noa’s lackluster reply. Sen sighed and rolled her eyes, glancing over. Balen had already strung up his hammock, and Noa was reclining on his bedroll reading a newspaper. Where had he even gotten that? The last town maybe? It didn’t matter. She looked again at her reflection.

“I can cut it for you.”

She looked back at Balen, a little dubious. “Really?”

He made a hmph noise as he rolled out of his hammock. “Yeah. Let me get my scissors.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks then.”

She wandered towards her own bedroll, sitting down to wait. Noa still hadn’t moved, but he hadn’t flipped a page in a while. She figured he was watching from under the mask.

“Alright, how short do you want it?”

“Um, maybe, like this?” She brought her hands up and made a cutting motion near her chin. “I think I want it pretty short.”

Balen nodded and sat down behind her. He got to work pretty quickly, combing her hair out first, and then going bit by bit, checking with her as he went along.

“Where’d you learn to cut hair?”

“I had three older sisters. One of them was a hairdresser, and when I was younger she had me help out in her store.”

“Oh. That’s kind of cool.”

“Yeah, I thought so too.”

They fell quiet except for the _snip snip_ of the scissors. Noa was the first to speak up.

“Where are your sisters?”

Sen felt Balen still behind her, and immediately turned a frown on Noa.

“I don’t know. Haven’t for years.” The _snip snip_ noise resumed. “There was a gang raid, in our city. They hit a bunch of small businesses.”

“Benders?”

“Some, yeah.”

The silence that fell was heavy, and Sen didn’t have the courage to speak up. When Balen finally stood with a quick, “Done.” she scrambled towards the pond.

“This looks so good!” She turned a beaming face towards him. “I love it! Thank you!”

“It’s no big deal.”

“It suits you.”

Her smile got even wider. “Well thank you Noa.” He made a noise agreement and Sen took the time to look at his hair. It was probably just as long as hers actually, maybe a little shorter. He had been keeping it back in a long ponytail, but it looked just as worn.

“Maybe Balen could cut your hair.”

She watched amused as both boys turned to look at her.

“That’s not necessary—”

“I don’t need my hair cut—“

“It’s fine—“

“He’s not getting near me with scissors—“

The list of reasons went on and on, and all Sen could do was laugh.

——

Noatak ran his hand through his hair, the edges short and close to his head. It wasn’t so bad really. He kind of liked it.

“Ok, when you hit, try and aim for these areas. Your smaller and physically weaker so you’ll have to rely on staying out of range. It’ll probably be easier for you to kick, as opposed to punch, so we’ll work on that first…”

He didn’t like that though.

Balen had decided to teach Sen as much as he could in terms of combat. He had already admitted that it wouldn’t be a lot, but Sen had been excited. Noatak was glad too. She needed to know how to fight. What he didn’t like was the fact Balen was teaching her. He had only been traveling with them for three months. Noatak still didn’t trust him.

Which Sen insisted was irrational. She was probably right, and he was attempting to make an effort at being less hostile, but for the last four years it had been him and Sen against the world. They both had ingrained behaviors that needed to change. Sen was just better at adapting then he was.

“Noa, do you want to join us?”

He looked up at Balen’s words, and his first thought was no, but if he was supposed to be making an effort… He stood up and wandered over, shedding his cloak on the way.

Twenty minutes later, Balen had dropped him on his ass three times. Sen was doubled over, giggling, and Noatak was growing increasingly less charitable.

“How did you pin me in that alley?”

“Adrenaline.”

“Fair enough.”

They quickly moved on to technique, with Balen and Sen demonstrating some of the things she had been learning. She was getting good, and it made Noatak just a little more agreeable to the situation.

His pride was still hurting though, so when Balen asked if he wanted to try, and Noatak’s fist ‘slipped’, he felt a little better. Sen ran to check on Balen, and deemed him fine when he sat up laughing.

“Maybe it wasn’t just adrenaline in that alley!”

Noatak let out a snort.

——

Sen took a glance in the mirror, and readjusted her headband. It was a soft material, and it was positioned over her mark. She didn’t like it.

Noa was giving a speech this evening in a larger city. Balen was going to be in the crowd, and Sen was barred from attending. Both boys had stressed the importance of her not being at rallies from now on. She was too identifiable. They had acted like a united front in this conversation, and normally she would have been happy at the show of trust between the two, but she was mostly annoyed by her predicament. It had been fine, when she thought it would be temporary. She didn’t like the prospect of permanence.

She believed in everything Noa did, everything he said. They had seen the same brutalities, suffered similar abuse. She was so tired of always running, and evading. She wanted to show her support, be active in this movement she could see Noa creating. She had wanted to stay out of it at first, scared of the publicity. That was before Balen, before she realized they had been followed. Now, she didn’t see much of a point. Wouldn’t it be better, to embrace her connection with Amon?

She tightened the headband and stepped out of the room she shared with Noa. If she was quick, she might be able to make it before he even began speaking.

“Where are you going?”

Sen let out a small squeal, before realizing it was only Balen, exiting his room next door.

“I—nowhere—”

He heaved a sigh. “Nevermind. Come on. Noa went ahead.”

She followed him down the stairs to the street. “You’re not mad?”

“Look, Sen, there’s nothing to be mad about. I figured you were going to do something like this anyway. You looked very unhappy this morning during our conversation, and you and Noa have a habit of following your own rules. I think it’s part of what makes him so effective.”

She was quiet for a minute, mulling over his words. “You’re probably right. I just, I believe in what he says, I helped him edit some of those speeches. He’s going somewhere with this, this, this movement. Sometimes, sometimes I just…”

“You’re afraid he’ll move on without you.”

She could only muster a mumbled affirmative. It was something she had struggled with recently, one of this things she had boxed away for later.

The rest of their walk was made in silence, but as they were nearing the venue, Balen spoke up.

“Tell him you’d like to be involved. Not publicized, necessarily, but recognized.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Let me help.” He grabbed her headband and yanked it off her head, ruffling her hair in the process.

“Hey!” She turned a childish glare on him and he returned it with a grin.

“If you’re going to do this, you might as well own up to it.”

——

The people in the crowd waited for Amon to appear on stage. They had come from all walks of life, with different hardships, and one thing in common. A belief in this man’s word. They waited with bated breath, and when Amon finally stepped onto the stage, a hush fell over the room.

He was followed by a young girl, a red circle adoring her forehead. She didn’t speak, merely sat on a chair near the wings. Those with the correct angle, even saw the man off stage, standing at attention near the girl. Neither made any noise during Amon’s speech, merely nodding and agreeing with his words. When Amon left the stage, the girl followed.

It didn’t take long for the entire city to hear of this new development, and even less time for the information to spread. From then on, when representatives came to make arrangements with Amon, they always offered extra accommodations for his companions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, totally irrelevant but I'm really happy with the illustration in this chapter and the last. I think I'm kind of finally finding a style for this series of works? Like, I'm trying to make it similar to ATLA's actual art style, but I'm also using bits of my own? Idk it's kinda weird, and doesn't really matter very much. But like, why is a tiny mustache so hard? It wasn't anything but, like, two lines? And I was ?stressed? about it??
> 
> Anyway, good day wishes on everyone!


	13. Persistence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the only big important story arc before Legend of Korra Season 1! I am very excited, it will be a longer arc though, so Season 1 is still a month or two away. Anyway, have a good day and enjoy!

_AG 163_

Amon took one look at the village elder speaking to him, and knew something was off.

“We’re willing to offer a large sum. Free food and board, you and your companions can lodge in an old home at the edge of town. All we ask is that you speak once a day for three days.”

This man was too pushy, pleading with him, not out of want for his message, but out of fear. It was the way he spoke, and trembled, and continued to look over his shoulder at every noise. The man was jumpy, suspicious, and terrified.

Amon wanted to say no. Deny the man, tell him he had previous arrangements in another village, and move on. Except, he was just a little curious. What had this man begging for his presence, yet also fearing it?

The elder looked panicked by his continued silence, and started another round of negotiation. “I can double the sum... you and your companions can stay in the house for a week! Even after you speak! Nice beds, free food, better than the road I’m sure!”

Amon gave a slow nod before cutting off the man’s rambling. “I will discuss it with my companions.”

“Thank you! Thank you! Is there anything more—”

“No.” With that, Amon turned on his heel and left the village elder standing in a now empty square.

He found Balen waiting for him three blocks away, arms crossed against his chest. “Sen’s already gone to the market. Said she wanted some red bean buns before we move on.”

He nodded and they continued towards the inn. “That elder seemed persistent.”

“Fearful. I want to now why.”

Balen made a quiet hmm, before responding. “I think that would be a mistake.”

Noatak scoffed and the two continued walking. By the time they reached the inn, Sen had already returned. She was curled up in a chair, eating her treat and reading some new book. Noatak sat down in the chair next to her.

He wanted to take off his mask. It was starting to itch again, and he’d been wearing it for several hours, but he couldn’t remove it until Balen left the room. He only hoped he would eventually get used to it.

“Noa wants to make an unwise decision. Talk him out of it.”

Noatak scowled at Balen and then shifted his attention to Sen. She had put down her book and unfurled herself from the chair, stretching like a house cat. Noatak was sure she would dislike the analogy.

“Is it the old man? He seemed very jumpy when I first noticed him.”

“Yes. He wants me to speak in his village. He offered a very large sum, free food and board. He was too persistent though. He wants us there, but he’s afraid. Desperate.”

She only gave a quiet hm in response, and then they all fell silent. All three stayed like that for some time, mulling over what information they had. Noatak was sure he knew what Balen was thinking. Their new companion didn’t like missing information, and that usually meant he avoided the situation. Sen, on the other hand, was a little less easy to predict. She had a habit of judging everything on a case-by-case basis, with varying success.

“What if we go and look it over—”

“Really Sen? I said talk him out of it, not agree—”

“I’m not necessarily agreeing—”

“You might as well be—”

“Hey!—”

He watched them continue to squabble, and in an attempt to stop their bickering, Noatak made the diplomatic choice. “Well Balen, it’s two to one. Looks like we’ll be checking it out.”

A smirk of satisfaction crossed his face when Balen only sighed in defeat.

——

Sen tilted her head back and shook her water-skin. It was empty, like the last three times. Still, she sighed again and let her head flop against the tree behind her. Her eyes fell closed until she felt something drop in her lap. It was Noa's water-skin.

“Thank you.”

He nodded and she watched him wander back towards Balen, where they both resumed looking at the map. It was warm out today, and she wondered if Noa was hot under his mask.

When Balen had begun traveling with them, she hadn’t really thought through the fact that Noa would be wearing his mask almost all the time. She missed being able to see his expressions, his rare smiles most of all. She wondered if he would ever trust Balen enough, ever be willing, to share what was under the mask. She let a small part of herself hope, because she and Noa both needed to widen their circle of allies and friends.

“…it’s in the middle of nowhere, if I’m reading this map correctly. The woman i bought it from said it used to be a very rich mining town.”

“That could explain their offer of a large sum. It doesn’t explain anything else though.”

“So we continue on. We’ll look into it when we get there.”

Sen sighed, and stood. Stretching, she followed after the boys. They both had longer legs, and were setting a brisk pace. Already, she could feel her legs aching in protest as they began to ascend the mountain. Why did people like to build villages on mountains!

——

Spirits, she could understand why people would build villages up here. It was beautiful. An unbroken horizon on all sides, fresh air, cooler temperatures. She loved it up here, and it made the pain of the trek worth all the more.

They were approaching the village anyway. She could see rooftops in the distance,but no distinguishing features yet. Already they had gone over the plan. Noa would go on his own, with Balen and Sen wandering together. They would listen for anything unusual, and then meet back up on the outskirts of town.

They split ways five minutes from the town, Noa entering the village via the main entrance, and Sen and Balen from a smaller one farther down the road. Upon entering into the village, Sen could only stare in awe. Evidently, she and Balen had entered into a very rich part of town. The houses were large and lavish, decorative trim and fancy embellishments.

Except, they looked oddly empty. Their yards were unkept, dead flowers in the pots and wilting grass on the lawns. Upon closer inspection, many of the windows were covered in dust, and some of the houses had chipped and peeling paint. It may have been a rich sector once, but not anymore.

She and Balen exchanged looks before continuing on, towards the center of town. The village market was a different story. Busy and colorful, and filled to the brim with people. It was almost a relief after their eerie entrance.

She and Balen wandered the market with eyes and ears open, but neither heard anything distressing. At one point they stopped for a meal and then split up to wander the market separately. They had thought it might be easier to find something out that way.

Instead, they learned that the village didn’t like strangers.

Every time Sen tried to strike up a conversation, it fell flat. When she tried to listen to gossip, voices fell quiet. A small number of stalls had even denied her service. She was a little affronted by that, but Balen had dragged away her away before anything escalated.

They wandered the village for close to two hours. Everywhere they went, it was closed doors and silent lips.

And then the village elder found them.

——

Noatak got into the village without any fuss. The people at the gate had been cold to his presence, but gave him no trouble. He was enjoying this immensely. It was the first time he had been out in public without the mask in some time. It was tucked away, and its absence was freeing. He could wander without recognition.

It didn’t last very long.

He had been within the village for maybe three hours before he found Sen and Balen. He hadn’t been looking for them, they weren’t supposed to meet for a few hours yet, but he could recognize her anywhere, and she looked unhappy.

The source of her unhappiness came from the pushy village elder who had first negotiated with him. He was talking with Balen, gesturing wildly and being an overall nuisance. Noatak snuck closer in an attempt to hear their conversation.

“Where is Amon? Is he already within the village? You’ll need to collect your payment, and we’ll need to work out a schedule for his rallies, but we are so grateful…”

The man seemed to go on and on and both of Noatak’s companions were left spluttering over their words.

When he finally caught Sen’s gaze he was subjected to a frazzled look of panic. Her eyes were just a little wider than normal and she had shifted herself partially behind Balen, as if to hide from the village elder. When she had made sure no one was looking, she made exaggerated motions at him.

Noatak didn’t read pictionary, but he could guess what she was thinking.

Giving a sigh at his impending loss of freedom, he ducked into a deserted alleyway. Shrugging off his pack he shuffled through it to the carefully wrapped mask. He pulled it out and donned it with only a little hesitation before re-shouldering his pack and stepping back onto the street.

Balen was looking a little annoyed now, and Noatak could only heave another sigh. He didn’t trust this village, or its elder. Something here was inherently wrong, some kind of information was being withheld. He wasn’t sure what, and he wasn’t sure how crucial, but it was a bit of a moot point now.

The village elder almost fainted when Noatak tapped him on the shoulder.

He only got a little satisfaction from that.

“Amon! Oh, thank you, thank you! Your presence is most welcome in our humble village.” The elder bowed low and Noatak tried not to show how uncomfortable it made him. “Your companions seemed a little confused, I was worried there had been some kind of misunderstanding.”

“Hm. Potentially.” Noatak eyed the slowly gathering crowd. “I’ll only do one rally.”

The elder looked panicked. “Please, we asked for three, we can pay for three—”

He turned his eyes to the old man, no room for negotiation in his voice. “One rally. We can discuss the prospect of more after.” He made sure his voice projected over those gathered.

The village elder seemed to think it over, a nervous look on his face, a suspicious quality to his demeanor. “That…that can be arranged.” He seemed to pause a moment longer, face and actions turning sheepish. “Allow me to take you to your lodgings?”

——

“Oh spirits! Look at it! It’s huge!” Sen spun in a circle, taking in the vastness of their temporary home. “We could each have our own building!”

To her left, Balen gave a chuckle, but Noa stayed silent. She watched him slowly pace the edge of the courtyard, observing all possible exits and entrances. She knew how his mind worked. She knew Balen was doing something similar, and she was taking stock of all available information too. Constant awareness was a hard habit to break.

She stepped up onto one of the surrounding walkways and wandered over to a door. Sliding it open, she looked into the large room. It was very traditional, exactly like she’d always imagined a noble house to look.

Noa wandered up behind her, standing close and looking around. “It’s definitely nicer than our usual.”

She heard Balen echo an affirmative before he wandered into another room. They were like this for several minutes, wandering into and out of rooms, inspecting their contents and decor. It was Balen who stumbled across the fully stocked kitchen.

The kitchen was massive. Large counters and full cupboards. It even had a small ice-box. Probably the only modern amenity in the entire house. Sen was thrilled. They had been eating mainly travel rations for a month now. She was ready for fresh, home-cooked food.

Eventually, the kitchen is where they settled. After everyone had claimed a room and set out their belongings, they reconvened and Sen got to work on dinner. She was excited to actually be cooking something. She shuffled through the cabinets, taking stock of ingredients.

“I could make…pan-fried noodles, or dumplings, or…” She wandered over to the ice-box, opening it and peering at its contents. “Duck. We have a duck. A whole entire duck. I could do roast duck.”

Noa snorted quietly beside her and Balen made a sound of disgust. “Why don’t we skip the duck. Noodles sound good. The dumplings will take too long.”

Sen nodded in agreement and began pulling out supplies. Noa stepped in beside her to help, pulling out the necessary utensils and preparing ingredients. That was how the next thirty-or-so minutes went, the two of them making dinner and Balen filling the silence with idle chatter. It was good. It put Sen at ease and made her feel almost normal.

“Do you want me to set the table?”

She nodded in Balen’s direction and he opened the dish cupboard. “Would you like porcelain set one, porcelain set two, or porcelain set three?”

“Pf, what?”

He motioned to the cupboard, grin on his face. “You have several options, all with different themes. How fancy would you like to be tonight?”

She picked the fanciest porcelain set she could, and when they sat down to dinner the boys quickly found a topic to bicker over. It was commonplace now, their squabbling. In the beginning it had been borderline malicious, now it was incredibly tame.

“…couldn’t even handle one old man. I had to save you—”

“That’s not what happened. It’s your fault were here to begin with!”

Sen smiled into her noodles. She imagined this is what siblings would be like. What a real family would be like. Working together, laughing and fighting and being happy together. She had never really had that, and she didn’t think Noa remembered it. To be honest, she didn’t remember much either. Every day her mother’s memory faded just a little more. Her face lost more features and her voice lost its tone.

That was okay though.

Maybe she could make new memories with this.

——

Sen stared at the ceiling, listened to the cicadas, and felt the walls shrink in around her. She couldn’t sleep. The futon was soft, the most comfortable thing she had slept on in a while, but she could only keep her eyes closed for a brief time.

She knew what was keeping her awake.

It was the silence.

Sure, she had the night noises, but it wasn’t the same. For five years now, she had slept near Noa. It was a form of safety and comfort, to hear his breathing, and know that if anything happened, they would be in it together. This was the first night she had slept alone since the North Pole. She knew she shouldn’t be that dependent, and maybe she would eventually adapt, but it wouldn’t be tonight.

Her attention was drawn to the door, and she was immediately alert when it slid open. She prepared to jump to her feet before Noa’s familiar voice reached her.

“Sen?”

“Yes?”

“Can I come in?”

A wide smile spread across her face as she nodded and motioned him in. He stepped through the door, dragging his own futon behind him, a blanket slung over his shoulders. Sliding the door shut, he dropped his bedding next to hers.

The entire time he was setting up his bed, Sen could only grin widely at him. When he finally settled down, he turned to face her. Upon seeing her expression, his own turneda little sheepish.

“It’s a big house. We’re more vulnerable spread out.”

“Mhm.”

Still smiling, she settled into her blankets, turning to face him. He did the same, laying down on his back, hands folded across his chest. She liked being able to see his expressions again. There was no mask in sight and it only filled Sen with a sense of relief.

Her eyes began to drift shut as her body relaxed for the first time that night. Noa’s breathing evened out beside her, and Sen sought just a little more comfort. Reaching over to grab his fingers, Noa was the one to curl them together, holding her hand to his chest.

They fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's mostly platonic cuddling. One of these days I plan on doing an actual full color piece for this series, but that day has not come yet.
> 
> As always, constructive criticism is appreciated!


	14. Spark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi you guys! I'm so so sorry that this chapter is late. Last week was weirdly crazy, and all the time I had slotted away to work on the chapter got eaten up. Anyway, here it is. I'm very excited for this chapter and the coming arc. I think I have it all plotted? Hopefully you guys don't mind waiting a little longer for season one.

Noatak woke to an empty room, sunlight streaming through a crack in the door. It fell across the empty bed beside him, highlighting Sen’s absence. He wasn’t surprised. She had always been somewhat of an early riser.

He sat up, stretching his arms above his head and relishing in the last bit of calm he would get that morning. His eyes were drawn to Sen’s bed next to him. Sitting on top of it was his mask, a note in her handwriting attached.

_Just in case Balen is up before you. Good morning!_

He smiled before standing up and walking towards the door. He looked back at his bedding and told himself he would get it later. Probably. Looking down at the mask in his hands, he raised it to his face and secured the red-silk ties behind his head.

He slid open the door and stepped out into the courtyard. Sen was sitting on a garden bench with Balen beside her, both of them holding bowls of jook. He wandered up behind her and went to reach for her bowl before she whipped around to glare at him.

“Don’t you dare. There’s some in the kitchen for you. Get your own bowl.”

He grinned a little and wandered into the kitchen. The pot was still sitting on the stove, warm but cooling. He grabbed one of the fancy porcelain dishes from the cupboard and served himself some breakfast. He took a seat at the dining room table to eat.

This was one of the other things Amon kept him from doing. So long as Balen had traveled with them, Noatak had eaten his meals alone. Certain foods he could get past the mask, but most times he had to wait until Balen had left the room.

He finished his meal and washed the bowl before heading back out to the courtyard. He could hear multiple voices outside and slowed to a stop. He stood in the shadow of a door and watched the village elder let himself into their lodgings. He could tell Sen was mildly annoyed at being interrupted this early in the morning, Balen was a little harder to read.

“I’ve come to speak to Amon.”

“And we told you he is currently indisposed.”

Noatak stepped out from behind the door and into the courtyard. “What was so important, it couldn’t wait until a decent hour?”

“Well, it’s already nine—”

“What do you want?”

“Well your first speech is in three hours.”

Balen, who had been taking a sip of his tea, choked on it. While Sen patted him on the back, Noatak turned to the elder, annoyance in his features.

“I wasn’t aware that I had agreed to one so soon.”

The old man had the gall to look sheepish. “Yes, well you see, It’s already been advertised to all the village, and it’s much too late to reschedule now.”

Noatak could only sigh in defeat. “You get one rally.”

“Please, we could pay for more—”

His voice was firm in response. “No. One rally. We leave the morning after.”

The elder must have realized Noatak wouldn’t change his mind, and nodded his head in defeat. “There is a, stage, prepared in the central square. Twelve o’clock.” He sent one more pleading look. “Please be there.”

“I will.”

——

Sen sat on the kitchen counter, drying dishes and handing them to Balen to be put away. Noa was scrubbing at the sink, and she was thinking about their visitor. The elder’s continued persistence and overall actions made her very wary.

“It’ll be fine Sen.” She glanced over at Noa who had paused in his cleanup. “The one rally and then we’re gone.”

She nodded her head and they finished their chores in silence. She wandered back to her room and had to smile at the sight of Noa’s bedding right where it had been that morning. She opened her pack and began getting ready for their impending appointment. She reached the bottom of her bag and felt her fingers graze over their remaining khukri. She never had picked up the one lost in confrontation with Balen.

It was one less thing to remind her of the North Pole, but it was just a little bittersweet.

She wondered if she should bring it with, just in case. It wouldn’t hurt, would it?

She strapped it to her waist before shutting the door and heading towards the courtyard. The boys were there already, Noa reading and Balen sitting at a nearby table, Pai Sho set out in front of him.

They had about two hours yet, enough time for a quick game. She sat in front of Balen and watched him sigh. By this point, she had picked up the actual rules of the game. She only played it wrong because it frustrated Balen.

She moved the shiny new piece across the board, watching Balen slump at her illegal move. That was another thing they no longer had from the North Pole, the Pai Sho set she and Noa had made. Balen had returned to camp from town one day with a brand new set and a determination to teach her the real rules. Noa had taken their old set and tucked it away. She hadn’t seen it since, and sometimes she wondered if he had even kept it.

Time passed quickly, and with another loss on her Pai Sho record, the revolutionary and his companions left their temporary lodgings. Sen walked beside Noa, Balen bringing up the rear. They passed through almost the entire village on their way to the square, and Sen continued to notice the proof of poverty in the village. It may have been rich once, but not anymore.

She had to wonder how they were providing all that food.

She pushed it to the back of her mind when they arrived in the square to one of the largest crowds she had ever seen at a rally. Noa had drawn large crowds before, but very few this large, and coming all from one village. Every citizen must have been in attendance.

Even Noa seemed shocked, if his small falter was anything to go by.

“Spirits, have you ever had a crowd this big?”

Both Sen and Noa nodded at Balen’s comment but stayed silent. Noa recovered first, stepping towards the stage, and then into its center. Sen hung back with Balen to watch.

“Some of you may know my name, but for those who do not, it is Amon. When I was a young boy, I lived on a small farm with my family…”

Sen mouthed along with the story she had helped fabricate. She had it memorized by heart, knew all its versions and changes. It was as much her story as it was anyone else’s.

Amon was excellent today, she always knew he thrived with a crowd, but this was different from normal. The crowd hung on his every word like a child did a story.

“I’m going to join the crowd. I’ll meet you two after?”

“Yeah. Be careful.”

She nodded in affirmation before leaving Balen to his post.

Joining the crowd was easy. She slipped into it, recalling skills from Republic City, and disappearing between the people. She settled near a throng of children, smiling at their antics, and their evident boredom. Noa’s speeches had never really appealed to children.

The first hour went by normally. It really did. Sen was content and safe and aware of her surroundings. The crowd was enthralled, and even the children had finally settled into silence.

The problem began elsewhere in the village.

——

No one noticed when the benders first appeared. Certainly not Noatak, who was in the middle of an impassioned speech. They had crept in on the edges of the crowd and loitered in the streets. There was probably only fifteen in total, but for a small poverty stricken village?

It might as well have been an army.

When the first bender finally acted, Noatak didn’t know what to do. He halted his speech, and then froze in the middle of the stage. He watched the crowd as it panicked, as it writhed in the square, the raucous noise overwhelming, and all he could really do was watch.

This-this was Sen’s fear come to life.

For as long as Amon had existed, Sen had always cautioned against the possibility of this situation. Of benders taking deep offense with his words, and acting on that anger.

Every time she brought it up, he brushed it off.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think it was a possibility, it was the fact that some part of him had felt invincible. Had felt that nothing bad could really go wrong because this cause was right.

He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

He was still standing in the middle of the stage when the earth-bender stepped up in front of him.

Balen tackled him off the side, into the dust and the crowd, and then hauled him to his feet. Noatak’s mind finally caught up withhim, and while Balen was trying to drag him away, he was fighting to get back.

Sen had been there, in the crowd today. Been in the middle of a crowd now crawling with hostile benders and he hadn’t seen her, couldn’t see her—

“Noa come on! We have to leave now!”

“Not without Sen! Let me go—”

“We have to go!”

“She’s still back there!”

In the months they had been traveling together, he and Balen had begun sparring almost regularly. By this time they were evenly matched, but Balen was older and had brute strength on his side still.

He grabbed Noatak by the collar and dragged him behind a nearby garden wall, shaking him like some kind of doll.

“Listen to me! They were here for Amon. Sen would kill me if I left you standing on that stage like an idiot.”

Noatak glared at him, as menacing as possible, and then tried to shove past him. Balen dragged him back.

“I can’t leave her—”

“I’m not asking you too. I’ll go get her, you stay out of sight.”

“I should be with you—”

Balen had stood and crept to the edge of the wall, peering out at the still chaotic streets. He turned back to Noatak only briefly.

“Right now, you’re Amon. You’d paint a target on her back.”

Noatak could only watch him go. His chest was tight and full of anxiety, but he also understood Balen’s reasoning. As Amon, he had just a little less freedom then as Noatak, because Amon was someone, meant something. Noatak didn’t.

He ripped off the mask, felt one of the strings snap, wrenched his arm back and was moments from dashing it in the stones before he stopped. He was being selfish. It had been a gift, and now it meant something. It represented hope and equality for a previously oppressed group. He had no right to destroy that. It wasn’t just about him, or Sen, or Balen anymore.

He did this for every non-bender out there.

He tucked the mask away, hid it in the folds of his cloak and crept into the streets.

——

When the first fireball had lit the sky, the entire crowd froze. Noa’s words had come to an abrupt and screeching halt, and it felt like the whole world was holding its breath.

And then the ground had started moving and the crowd did too.

The weight that had settled in Sen’s chest didn’t move. It sat on her heart, squeezed her ribs, and stole her air. She should have been moving but her feet had grown roots, and suddenly running seemed impossible.

It had been fine, everything had been fine, she shouldn’t have panicked. She shouldn’t have panicked, but the crowd had screamed, people had been pushing and shoving, and the little boy beside her had fallen and she was trying to keep him from being crushed, and she couldn’t see Balen or Noa and, and…

She was gasping for breath, could feel her heart racing and the world spinning but she focused on the little boy. She hefted him from the floor and held him close, tried to block out the sounds of his crying, and shoved her way through the crowd away from the advancing benders. She ignored the heat on her back, and the steam in the air. Adjusted her feet when the ground trembled and prayed to every spirit she believed in that Noa and Balen were safe.

Screaming alerted her to the two girls, older then the little boy but still children. She grabbed them both by the hand and instructed they grab the little boy. The human chain took off at a run. She led the children towards the edge of the square, hoping she could get them to a side street, hide them somewhere, maybe find an adult.

Fight or flight was a powerful instinct. She was terrified, almost as scared as the North Pole, and that-that had been— One of the girls tripped over an uneven pave stone and brought the little boy with her. Sen scrambled to a halt and turned to lift both children but they were wasting precious time and the benders were only getting closer.

There was a storefront about twenty paces to her left and Sen caught the eyes of an older woman, frantic hands motioning them towards her door. She pushed the girls in front of her, told them to run, and grabbed the little boy to follow. The old woman grabbed the girls and hauled them inside the store as soon as they were within reach, and Sen was almost to the door when she felt the ground shift beneath her.

She went tumbling to the dirt, just narrowly avoiding the little boy. She tried to scramble to her feet but the earth shifted again and she was back in the dust. She could see the earth-bender, a burly woman, all hard lines and angles, advancing on her from the other side of the street. Deciding movement was the only option, she began to crawl toward the store, urging the little boy along. He was sobbing, face red and chest heaving, and Sen could only hope they would be okay.

The boy moved faster then her and the old woman reached him first. She darted out from her door and grabbed the boy under the arms before running back inside. Sen felt only a little relief at the safety of all three children, and then began worrying over _her_ boys.

And then she worried for herself, because the burning hand wrapped tightly around her arm left no room for other fears.

——

When Noa had crept into the streets, he hadn’t had a plan. That had quickly changed. Within the hour, most of the rioting had stopped, people taking refuge wherever they could, and the apparent gang disappearing. 

He followed the flow of people. Although most had left the streets, those that were injured had made a steady pace towards an overrun clinic in a corner of town. It was an old building, worn and run-down, with a small staff and even less supplies.

He couldn’t heal, not really, but he knew first-aid.

He made use of that skill. He used what he could find, sparingly and efficiently, but he wasn’t just being humanitarian. He was also being selfish. He had hoped maybe he could find Sen, or at least Balen.

He didn’t find either.

He did find the simpering village elder.

Amon needed to have a discussion with him, so Noatak disappeared.

The crowd parted like fish in a stream, and Amon marched through its wake.

“What was that?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“What was that!”

“We’ve, we’ve been beset—”

“You mean occupied.”

“Occupied, by a, group of benders. They’ve been stealing our money, and our resources! We had no other options! You were supposed to help us!”

“You didn’t tell me your village was run by a gang! You didn’t tell me you writhe under the thumb of a bender!” He advanced on the old man, not an ounce of mercy in his bones. “What did you expect? Did you think I would lead your rebellion without any fore-knowledge!”

“Please! This is what you preach! The entirety of your message hinges on rising up and becoming equal with our oppressors! Your rally, it was only meant to be a spark!”

He could understand the elder’s words, his thought process and conclusion, but then he looked around at the senseless violence. The people propped up on walls, bleeding and burned, cut by ice, broken by earth. Sen, out there somewhere, Balen too. This was everything he wanted to avoid, wanted to fight.

His fury turned on the old man.

“It was an ambush!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another note: my next update won't be until March 10. February is a weird month and I want to try and get the majority of this arc written up before my next post. Other that that, have a really good day (night?) !


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